No. 05 / 20 · Movements, by Gastón Solís
Al-Sākin
the stilled one
Dar El Fan · Beirut · 1985

The Arabic title means the one who is still, the dweller, the one who resides — and, in Sufi usage, a cousin of the names of God. One enters with the left foot and a whispered du’a seeking refuge, and leaves with the right, giving thanks. Water runs as it has run for every believer before us, at least since the advent of indoor plumbing, and in that quiet rush between the taps and the prayer mat, the room does its humble, holy work.
Five times a day, or more, we return to it.
Provenance
The artist’s studio, Beirut; a private collection, Beirut, acquired from the artist; lent by the above to Dar El Fan, Beirut, for Al-Sākin, 1985, the exhibition held in the founder’s Ras Beirut apartment, the gallery’s original premises having been destroyed early in the civil war; the work removed to Paris during the fighting; sale, Christie’s, Dubai, 2015, lot 32, as Lebanese School; the present collection, acquired at the above sale.



















