“In order to me to write poetry that isn’t political, I must listen to the birds, and in order to hear the birds, the warplanes must be silent” (Dancing jinn), 2023

“In order to me to write poetry that isn’t political, I must listen to the birds, and in order to hear the birds, the warplanes must be silent” (Dancing jinn), 2023, Laser cut steel, spice powders, 207 × 150 × 0.03 cm

Borrowing from the tradition of Aniconism in Islamic calligraphy, Ben Hamouda uses this ancient strategy of circumvention to construct suspended steel sculptures that hide figurative elements within their abstract shapes. Covered in fragrant spices such as chili, cumin, curry, henna, coconut charcoal, dried beetroot and salt, the sculptures protect and are protected by their medicinal, ceremonial, culinary and ritualistic properties used for thousands of years.

Originally presented in the artist’s first institutional show titled The Destruction of the Idols of Ka’ba, curated by Pakui Hardware at La Casa Encendida in 2023, this sculpture was part of an installation depicting the most well-known event of aniconism in which prophet Muhammad with an army marched to Mecca and demolished the pagan idols at the Ka’ba.