This article appeared in Being Muhannad Shono Issue #70 which delves into the world of Saudi artist Muhannad Shono, exploring his creative journey, artistic process, and global impact. Through visuals and an in-depth interview, it highlights Shono’s works that connect personal memory with universal themes. The issue traces his evolution from early creations to monumental installations, revealing a progression driven by curiosity and innovation. This issue celebrates Shono’s global success and his curatorial role in the 2025 Islamic Arts Biennale.
Issue #70 ‘Being Muhannad Shono’
I See You Brightest in the Dark, 2022
I See You Brightest in the Dark explores the idea of using black as a negative to create a positive, while incorporating white thread sculpturally within spaces. This piece attempts to not only address the absence of imagination but also to wield it in new ways.
This concept was further developed at the Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah with Letters in Light, Lines We Write. This two-part installation offered a singular spiritual encounter in one room, while the back room focused on the mass production of that spiritual experience. It represented the school, the mosque, and the act of printing and mass-producing text in a specific manner, raising questions about the relationship between the two spaces. Who was feeding whom? Was it the factory sustaining the singular experience, or was it the singular experience nourishing the factory? In this work, light animates the threads, enhancing their presence, inviting viewers to step into the threads within the structure.
I See You Brightest in the Dark displays threads of intangible light welcomed in, archived and loomed in multiple stages of dutiful and heartfelt acts of remembrance and acceptance.
‘I miss you still with every visit. I miss you so I wove you a garment of light and thread.’
