Cosmic Identity

2020

ahha Hardesty Arts Center
Tulsa, OK

Cosmic Identity studies the patterns that form the building blocks of the natural world—from the human body to the cosmos. The installation is inspired by the theory of the “cosmic web,” a theoretical model positing that the universe is structured like a vast web.  Seemingly disparate elements are interconnected through gravitational forces creating gaseous filaments. When visualized, this web parallels our the neural network in the brain. My pen and ink drawings are inspired by nature in its constantly changing state. Arboreal remnants are scarcely distinguishable from porous rocks, serving as a metaphor for the underlying omniety that links us. Networks simulating the cosmic web and dendrite nerve cells extend from these drawings in black threads. Upon close viewing, the patterns created by the threads themselves recall the geometric figures that govern much art created within Islamic traditions. Cosmic Identity is ultimately an artistic inquiry into a universal human condition that transcends borders and categorizations.

Photos by Destiny Jade Green

© 2014-2024 Sarah Ahmad. All Rights Reserved.