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Sanctuary

Ala Ebtekar

(b. 1978, United States)

Symbolically, the arch of a doorway spans time and history, marking the transition between the earthly and divine, whether in architecture, illuminated manuscripts, or carpet designs. Eleventh-century Persian theologian, philosopher, and mystic Al-Ghazzali likened this division to two gates in the heart: one opening outward to the material world, one opening inward, to inspiration. For his Sanctuary design, titled Makan (a sense of place), Ala Ebtekar incorporates arches, windows, and views of the cosmos, working with a fifteenth-century illumination of a divan by Persian poet Hafez and an image captured by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope’s Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). Says the artist, “The piece provides a contemplative space where the personal psyche can connect with the cosmic spirit, where the earthly and the celestial can meet, and where ancient tradition can intersect with imaginings of the future.”

Projects

  • Overview
  • On View
  • Past
    • Sanctuary
      • Cornelia Parker
      • Tammam Azzam
      • Sanctuary Volunteer
      • Uman
      • Hank Willis Thomas
      • Miguel Angel Ríos
      • Rashid Rana
      • Ranu Mukherjee
      • Aimé Mpane
      • Julio César Morales
      • Meleko Mokgosi
      • Sanaz Mazinani
      • Hayv Kahraman
      • Emily Jacir
      • Alfredo Jaar
      • Shirazeh Houshiary
      • Thaier Helal
      • Susan Hefuna
      • Mona Hatoum
      • Sherin Guirguis
      • Jeffrey Gibson
      • Nicholas Galanin
      • Ana Teresa Fernández
      • Brendan Fernandes
      • Marcos Ramírez ERRE
      • Ala Ebtekar
      • Jamal Cyrus
      • Mohammad Bozorgi
      • Sandow Birk
      • Diana Al-Hadid
      • Ammar al-Beik
      • John Akomfrah
      • Ai Weiwei
      • Shiva Ahmadi
      • Arwa Abouon
      • Adel Abidin
      • Hamra Abbas
    • Home Land Security
    • @Large: Ai Weiwei on Alcatraz
    • Art About Place: FOR-SITE Foundation at the Presidio
    • International Orange
    • Presidio Habitats
    • The Marvelous Museum: A Mark Dion Project
    • Pae White: In Between the Outside-In
    • Chris Drury: Mushrooms | Clouds
    • Shi Guorui: Reproduction and Refashioning
    • Richard Long: The Path Is the Place Is the Line
    • New Work by Cornelia Parker
  • Virtual Tour: Andy Goldsworthy in the Presidio
  • Artist Programs

Artist Editions

  • Syjuco DSC_2956a copy
  • alfarrowmultiple
  • michelepredmultipleopen
  • trevorpaglen-challenge-coin_rdh_001

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