Title: Ranakpur Jain Temple, India
Medium: Mixed Media
Dimension: 21 × 29.7 cm
Year: 2020
© Maisoon Al Saleh
 
The story behind the artwork: 
 
The 3 Phase Signal
 
Al Saleh’s latest series, showcased at her 4th solo exhibition titled “The 3 Phase Signal”, tells a story of tolerance and human connection through the symbolic use of sine waves. The artist disrupts the classical portrait composition by leaving her subjects’ faces blank, or replacing them with colourful visual effects. In some pieces, the background of the image, along with any further indication of location or cultural attributes is erased by the so-called monoscope, or television test pattern. This ubiquitous motif is not only a quasi visual representation of the sine wave, but also an universal and internationally recognisable point of reference, known to all of us around the world. The people portrayed here are only characterised by their traditional or religios attire, while their human features are transformed into blank colour fields, essentialy derived from the monoscope itself. As the combination of the various sine waves creates a harmonic bond, the artists seeks to emphasise the importance of deepening the connection between different nationalities and religions. Just like the colourful, ever changing, yet always familiar visual representation of the sine waves, our humanity behind all our cultural differences will always connect us.