In the blessed month of Rabi ul Awwal
I have been thinking a lot about journeys. Not always the kind that begin with a suitcase, but the ones that happen quietly inside us. The ones that draw us closer to what matters.
Arches of Revelation was inspired by the sacred arches of the Prophet’s Mosque in Madinah. There is something about the repetition of them that stays with you. One arch leads to another, and another, until your eye is carried down the long illuminated path towards a distant central arch.
When I painted this piece, I wanted that feeling of being drawn in. The repeating motifs move through layers of the canvas, but they are not there just to decorate it. They are there to create a sense of journey. A journey towards our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW, and towards a place of true tranquillity.
Madinah has that effect on the heart. It is difficult to explain if you have not been, and even if you have, words never quite seem enough. There is peace there. A stillness. A feeling that everything else can wait.
I think that is why this painting means so much to me. It is not a literal painting of the Prophet’s Mosque. It is more about the feeling of moving towards it: the anticipation, the longing, and the calm that comes with knowing where you are going.
This feels especially meaningful in the blessed month of Rabi ul Awwal, the month of our beloved Prophet Muhammad SAW. It is a time for reflection, for sending blessings upon him, and for thinking about the way his life continues to guide us. For me, Arches of Revelation is a small visual reminder of that guidance: a path of light, repeated again and again, leading the heart forward.
Arches of Revelation - Escher & Islamic Art: 20 Perspectives.
I am very grateful that this piece will be exhibited as part of Escher & Islamic Art: 20 Perspectives at Escher in The Palace in The Hague, from 10 June to 1 November 2026. The exhibition brings together contemporary artists whose work relates to Islamic cultural heritage, in conversation with Escher’s own enduring fascination with pattern, rhythm and repetition.
To have Arches of Revelation included in that conversation is very special to me. Repetition can be mathematical, decorative, meditative, or spiritual. In this painting, I hope it gives you a moment to pause, to look beyond the surface, and perhaps to feel a little closer to Madinah.