Nature and Gold
From the collection “Desert of Gold” by Nasser Al-Turki, courtesy of the artist.
Nature and its secrets inspired the wonderful art produced by Nasser Al-Turki and displayed at Naila Gallery. Al-Turki began his art journey 40 years ago when he was just nine years old and his art teacher asked him if he was drawing what he was seeing or just copying his peers. He realized at that moment that he must contemplate in order to draw what he sees. He learned the basics of art from school, practiced drawing from the views out his window, researched in books, and experimented with materiality and color.
For Al-Turki, art is his daily life and his passion. He spends most of his time in his studio to the point that he sometimes forgets himself in his artwork. He has been told on multiple occasions that he has had visitors and friends when working that he never noticed their presence. It is of no surprise then that he describes art as a daydream to see the universe from a different perspective.
“Desert of Gold” by Nasser Al-Turki, courtesy of the artist.
“All my exhibits are a study that extends beyond the limits of a singular moment,” expressed Al-Turki. His study that inspired the collection Desert of Gold is the literal golden landscape of his hometown Hayil and the nature surrounding it. It started in stages from 2018 and continued until today. It is a study of the desert and its formations from mountains and rocks to plants and nature in general.
“The desert was an empty land without treasure that people couldn’t navigate without knowing the position of sources of water and the stars.” This intrigued the artist and pushed his investigation forward, including his research into navigation tools like the astrolabe - a subject of some of his work. Furthermore, he wanted to investigate the texture and color of nature and the space around him, including the colors of the actual stones on the ground.
“To translate my study and vision into actual artworks, I created the color and the texture I used in my work.” Al-Turki isn’t satisfied with the standard color palates but created each color used in his artwork by mixing existing colors until he was satisfied with the product, a practice he developed since 2008. In these particular works, he was also interested in the texture of the colors to recreate the feel of the desert, so he added some wax in the mix to give it a three-dimensional feel. He managed to recreate sand waves through these mixes. However, he didn’t just create the gold color in his work, he also created all the colors in his works, as a part of his artistic process and exploration.
“Learn the rules then break them so you can truly create something new.” Al-Turki learned how to use colors to his benefit and broke the rules by creating and mixing his own to produce something that matched his vision.
“Desert of Gold” by Nasser Al-Turki, courtesy of the artist.
“Wealth isn’t restricted to gold,” said Al-Turki. The wealth of gold isn’t in its materiality but in the translation of the “sentiment of wealth.” Its true importance lies in its usage in language. Gold is used as a literary device rather than literally. It might have some material significance, but its representation far outweighs its literal interpretation. Calling the collection ‘Desert of Gold’ is a way to express the color of nature but also “express the historical and heritage value of the land.”
“Desert of Gold” by Nasser Al-Turki, courtesy of the artist.
“Desert of Gold” by Nasser Al-Turki, courtesy of the artist.
“Observe, research, read, meditate, dive deep, experiment, explore, and ask.” Al-Turki has done all of the above to better understand how he wants to produce a piece. Sometimes the efforts don’t produce anything concrete, like his deep dive into nuclear power as a sustainable source of energy. He looked into energy for peace, power stations, technical developments, and architecture in hopes to use some element to produce something. Nevertheless, his research is still a valuable “torch of curiosity.” Al-Turki is always questioning his thinking, his biases, his research, and his production in order to better translate his “life experience to the artwork.”
Nasser Al-Turki produced a collection that truly explores the understanding of nature through his eyes and his research. He is looking to create content that produces an understanding of his experience and his world. As art represents him, he is represented by his art: striking, immersive, and golden.
