We saw an endless cycle is a group exhibition currently on view at Hayy Jameel, curated by Rotana Shaker (Curator at Art Jameel). Bringing together 17 local and international creatives, the exhibition takes its name from a poem by Pakistani artist Seher Shah and examines how artists observe, document, and reinterpret the urban landscape. Through acts such as walking, crawling, photographing, painting, writing, sculpting, and counter-mapping, the exhibition traces the many gestures through which the city is experienced and expressed. The show will welcome all visitors until 17 April 2025.
The featured art pieces open up multiple, layered perspectives on how we relate to the city, from collective visions of the modern metropolis to personal, embodied encounters with the built environment. The exhibition includes artworks and archival materials from the Art Jameel Collection, alongside new commissions and loans. Together, they reflect rhythms, contradictions, and politics of urban life through intimate, repetitive, and at times disruptive actions.
Among the highlights is The Rule of Superposition, an installation by artist and architect Dima Srouji that critiques the violent use of archaeological practices in Jerusalem by reimagining the city’s surface. Through a juxtaposition of cartographic views and subterranean layers, the work invites viewers to “excavate” the hidden narratives embedded within the city’s physical and political ground.
Also on view is Metropolis (1991-2019) by Tanzania-born artist Lubna Chowdhary, a striking multi-part installation composed of 1,000 handmade, colourful clay sculptures. Referencing architectural ornamentation and the concept of horror vacui, a fear of empty space found in Middle Eastern and South Asian design, Metropolis evokes sprawling urban landscapes shaped by memory, anthropology, and the interplay between the historical and contemporary, the handcrafted and the industrial.
Another notable exhibit is Silence of the Sheep (2009) by Egyptian artist Amal Kenawy, a video documenting her controversial performance that took place in downtown Cairo (Egypt) in 2009. In it, Kenawy leads a group of casual labourers and artists crawling along Champollion Street, halting traffic and daily routine. The work confronts themes of social compliance, resistance, and the burden of cultural norms.
The exhibition also presents works by Seher Shah, Mustafa Hassan, the Bricklab architecture studio, Berlin-based conceptual artist Nadia Kaabi-Linke, German photographer Rut Blees Luxemburg, American artist Umber Majeed, visual and performance-theatre artist Pope.L, Emirati artist Hassan Sharif, British filmmaker John Smith, Lahore-based artist Risham Syed, and Chinese performance artist Lin Yilin. Saudi artists Abdulhalim Radwi, Basmah Felemban, Lulua Alyahya, and Mohammed Al Saleem are also represented.
To get more information about We saw an endless cycle, please go to the official web page of the exhibition.
In addition, you might be interested in exploring the Islamic Arts Biennale 2025.
