Open Space #19 Mohammad Alfaraj

As part of its Open Space program, the Fondation Louis Vuitton has invited Saudi artist Mohammad Alfaraj (b. 1993, Saudi Arabia) to create a site-specific work in Gallery 8, marking his first solo exhibition in a French institution. A multidisciplinary artist, Mohammad Alfaraj develops a practice spanning writing, video, photography, drawing, and sculpture rooted in the Al Ahsa oasis, where he lives and works. Drawing on Saudi Arabia's oral traditions, he explores social practices, urban and rural architectures, and everyday narratives to examine the relationships between humans and nature. His works often take the form of poetic fables that engage with contemporary ecological, social, and cultural issues. The exhibition I'd rather be a dragonfly than a lion brings together a series of videos within an installation composed of objects, photographs, and drawings. These stop-motion animations draw on the collective imaginaries of his native country, giving form to poetic narratives that he writes and performs himself. Working with a deliberate economy of means, Mohammad Alfaraj undertakes every stage of the creative process, from writing through to the creation of characters and sets, shooting, and animation. Set within the cultural context of Al Ahsa, these narratives bring together imagination, collective memory, and the living world, achieving a resonance that extends far beyond their place of origin.