"Pretty Beach" 2019
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Abdul-Rahman Abdullah
Born 1977, Kembla/Port Kembla, Dharawal Country.
Lives and works in Whajuk Nyungar Country.
Pronouns: he/him
"Pretty Beach" 2019
painted wood, silver ball chain, crystals, audio
Courtesy of the artist and private collection, Perth and Sydney.
Abdul-Rahman Abdullah’s installation is a lamentation to the life and memory of his grandfather Cliffy and the place he lived at Pretty Beach on Darkinjung Country, NSW. Pretty Beach captures the anxiety and fear of death, but also the love and celebration of life. Offering a respite from grief, the mesmerising and mystical quality of the installation holds a space of remembrance for Cliffy and where he lived.
The eleven estuary stingrays that swim beneath the raining crystals have much significance for the artist. Eleven is a holy number in Sufism, associated with witnessing the oneness of Allah. Estuary stingrays are a species endemic to the eastern coastal regions of Australia, where Abdul-Rahman Abdullah’s grandfather resided.