EXHIBITION

An exhibition by Shezad Dawood at Salisbury Cathedral
‘Live in harmony with one another’ Romans 12:16

 
 
This exhibition is a small part of a large body of work by artist, Shezad Dawood, and began when he was working on two separate projects; one which involved research about democracy the other about the oceans. This body of work touches on some of the most urgent issues of our time, that of climate change, migration and mental health. The title refers to the epic text by Wiltshire-born philosopher Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679). Hobbes’Leviathan, written in 1651, takes the sea monster described in the book of Job as a metaphor for the state.
 
 
In this exhibition the hanging paintings refer to the present, the sculptures to the past and each film refers to a world 20-50 years from now. And yet there’s a play between them, and the materials they use. The paintings are on Fortuny textiles popularised in the 1920s, the sculptures refer to Jonathan Swift and Moby Dick but use 3D printing technology, and the films use a combination of shot footage, archive material and analogue film techniques to think about the future. There is no single meaning behind Dawood’s artworks, each invites you to consider the situation at hand and think about what we might do, together, to make a better world for us all.
 
 
The exhibition resonates with the seasons of Advent and Christmas in which Christians recall the vulnerability of Jesus, Mary and Joseph, forced by political edict to travel from Nazareth to Bethlehem (Luke 2.1-7) and then by fear of King Herod from Bethlehem to Egypt (Matthew 2.13-23) By today’s definition Jesus would be counted a migrant or refugee. Throughout 2023 world events have shown us how important it is to care for displaced people and the importance of looking after our natural world.
 
Click to read detailed review in Elephant Magazine