Why did you choose Wadi Tayyibah as inspiration for your work? Is it close to your home?
Wadi Tayyibah is not that close to my home in Khor Fakkan. It is a very beautiful and inspiring place, and it contains rocks of good size that have flat surfaces. The colors of the rocks are different and diverse. As a child, I was at a boarding school in the region.
How has the environment of Wadi Tayyibah changed since you remember it?
The environment there actually did not change much. It is still very much the same with only some small farms.
At the Sharjah Biennale in 2015 you showed maplike paintings on small stones that you collected during your Al Zannoba Journey. But now in Dubai your work includes huge rocks, is it the first time that you do your stone maps on such large scale?
Yes, it is the first time that I paint on such big rocks. These large rocks were suitable for an artwork that is placed in the public space. The work is an intervention in a seating area on the Expo site. The large size of the rocks correspond to the vast area and its surroundings.
What does "terhal" mean?
In Arabic, terhal means a "journey." In a way, this journey also connects to my childhood memories.
(December 2021, via messaging app)