Al Fatiha: The Opening
by Alison Kysia
My favorite material is clay because the Quran says we are made from it. It is a material that embodies our humanity. I create abstract sculpture to express my own unique interpretation of the themes in my work, expanding the canon of what we typically associate with Islamic art.
I use atmospheric firing methods to capture distinctive and irreproducible markings that individuate each vessel as part of a unified whole, reflecting the Islamic principle of tawhid, the diversity of all encapsulated in the One.
Al Fatiha: The Opening is an abstract representation of the first chapter of the Quran. There are 99 individual sculptures because there are 99 Names of God in Islam. It was fired in a Naked Raku.
Al Fatiha: The Opening, 2023. Ceramic. 60 L x 60 W x 5 H inches.
Alison Kysia is a Muslim woman artist who creates abstract Islamic sculpture. Her work is inspired by Islamic beliefs and rituals, the 99 Names of God, and Islamic poetry. Her sculptures also serve as the centerpieces of socially engaged art projects to build community and connection. Examples of this include 99 Clay Vessels: The Muslim Women Storytelling Project and the Alternative 9/11 Memorial: Twenty Years Later, centering the voices and memories of Muslim women in the era of the U.S. War of Terror. You can learn more about her and her work at 786arts.com and on Instagram @786arts.
