A doorway emerges as if hewn from weathered rock carved with intricate symbols harking back to ancient Sumerian ceremonies. Celestial forms swirl, drawing us towards its centre. It is a portal to what Bahraini artist Zayn Qahtani calls the ‘whispering world’ – an in-between space where our hopes, desires and prayers intermingle with the forces of the universe. Qahtani is known for her innovative use of organic materials – papers crafted from Bahraini date palm trees, bioplastics made from sugarcane, pigments derived from plants, crystals, metals and soil – to create richly textural works that feel as if they have existed for centuries. In these works the artist is acknowledging the need to feel a connection to something bigger, through the making of art or the belief in forces beyond our consciousness. She asks us to sit in a space between knowing and believing. The works do not resolve into fixed meanings, but instead trace the desire to reach beyond ourselves – to find patterns, signs or signals that might answer back.

The Kristin Hjellegjerde Gallery is at 36 Tanner Street SE1 3LD. More here.