Echoes of the Familiar: The Whispering Walls
I mend a dream and I dream, 2025. Mixed media: wood, upholstery, radio, multi-colored lighting,quilt, photos, letters and personal belongings. Through an assortment of objects from a 1980s headboard to a radio, old letters and photographs, this work invites viewers to explore a personal narrative of cherished memories. By Noor Hisham AlSaif. Courtesy of the Echoes of the Familiar exhibition.
The "Echoes of the Familiar" exhibition running in November 2025 at Ithra is an intimate journey into the deep and complex relationship between human beings and the passage of time. The very concept of the exhibition is rooted in the universal truth that memory is a selective, luminous entity, often transforming the past into a space of idealized warmth and sweetness. We look back, and the shadows and hardships fade, leaving behind only the golden glow of "al zaman al jameel," the beautiful time. Every generation, in its rush toward the future, inevitably glances over its shoulder, feeling that the world has lost a simplicity it never truly possessed.
The foundation of the exhibition lies in a philosophical contemplation of architecture: the idea that a house is not merely a container for life, but a living record. I imagined the walls themselves whispering a quiet, insistent chorus of the lives lived within them. These echoes are the remnants of childhood laughter, the rhythmic clatter of the kitchen, the warmth of shared silence in the living room. As years turn into decades, these memories are absorbed by the fabric of the home, only to resonate and 'echo' back to us across space and time.
Live Testimonials, 2025. Aluminum door, by Meshari AlDosari. Courtesy of the Echoes of the Familiar exhibition.
By focusing on the Saudi home of the end of last century (the 70s, 80s, and 90s) we are attempting to reactivate this sensory archive. The pathway, the kitchen, the living room… each section is designed to be a portal, reviving those sweet, foundational memories through contemporary art and familiar ephemera. Through the scent of a historical recipe or the sight of a beloved, forgotten toy, the exhibition grants a moment of powerful, gentle retrieval.
The Reparation of a Lost Tooth, 2024. Multimedia installation. Through imaginatively recreating a version of her grandmothers' homes from her dreams, the artist draws on a childhood memory of losing a tooth to relive the intimacy of early places and experiences. Ministry of Culture collection, Saudi Arabia. By Abeer Sultan Courtesy of the Echoes of the Familiar exhibition.
We hope that visitors, in experiencing this collective nostalgia, feel more than just a longing for the past.
We hope they recognize the enduring strength of belonging, the realization that the human experience, across all generations and the world, is woven from the same thread of domestic rituals and emotional architecture.
It is an affirmation that while the walls and technologies may change, the soul of the home remains a resilient echo of love, community, and time well-spent.
Explore more pieces of the exhibition below, as well as other remarkable ones from different corners of the globe:
Nostalgia, 2025. Steel, black paint, VHS tapes, cassette tapes and videos from Saudi TV of the 1980s.
A journey through Gulf culture, comprising video and cassette tapes the artist collected for over a decade, preserving records from private family gatherings through to national events. By Saad AlHowede. Courtesy of the Echoes of the Familiar exhibition.
Connection, 2025. Two-channel video installation, projection & CRT monitor. Through presenting a series of GIFs from old chatrooms, internet archives and forums popular in the Arab world, early internet aesthetics are projected as a distinct visual language. By Turki AlQahtani. Courtesy of the Echoes of the Familiar exhibition.
Invisible Connection 2025. Mixed media: ink and acrylic on stretched canvas 100 x 100 cm.
Despite their age, telephones, radios and cassettes remain cherished by many. Here, these items invite us to celebrate the quiet power of nostalgia to preserve identity and community. By Skna Hassan. Courtesy of the Echoes of the Familiar exhibition.
Invisible Connection 2025. Mixed media: ink and acrylic on stretched canvas 100 x 100 cm.
Despite their age, telephones, radios and cassettes remain cherished by many. Here, these items invite us to celebrate the quiet power of nostalgia to preserve identity and community. By Skna Hassan. Courtesy of the Echoes of the Familiar exhibition.
Invisible Connection 2025. Mixed media: ink and acrylic on stretched canvas 100 x 100 cm.
Despite their age, telephones, radios and cassettes remain cherished by many. Here, these items invite us to celebrate the quiet power of nostalgia to preserve identity and community. By Skna Hassan. Courtesy of the Echoes of the Familiar exhibition.
Old retro toys made in the USSR. ‘’Our childhood’’ Museum in Riga. Courtesy of Shutterstock.
Room interior in Soviet style, living flat with vintage furniture, floor carpet and old TV.. Courtesy of Shuttetock.
California, USA: Sonoma State Park, bedroom in a mansion. Courtesy of Shutterstock.
Malang, Indonesia: An old retro antenna television that is no longer usable. As a display of goods from the 80s and 90s. Still well maintained and looks vintage. Courtesy of Shutterstock.
Seoul/Korea: Korea's main room interior in the 70s and 80s. Courtesy of Shutterstock.
Gaida Almogren is the curator of the Echoes of the Familiar exhibition.
