British photographer Peter Sanders’ work about Muslim world on display at Ithra
Titled ‘Searching for Light,’ a retrospective of the work of British photographer Peter Sanders whose career spans more than five decades photographing Muslim people, places, and culture, has opened at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra), Dhahran, Saudi Arabia.
The exhibition opened on January 13, 2024, and will be running until June 2024.
‘Searching for Light’ brings together 84 of his most iconic photographs, including some never before seen, and represents one of the most comprehensive expositions of the artist’s work to date.
Sanders’ journey through photography began in the 1960s when he photographed famous musicians of the era before encountering Islam and refocusing his lens on its faith and culture. Sanders became a Muslim in 1971 and was one of the first Westerners to be granted permission to photograph the Hajj pilgrimage in Mecca. Over the more than 40 years of travel that followed, he captured over 500,000 images of Islamic communities across the world.
Farah Abushullaih, Head of Ithra Museum, said: “‘Searching for Light’ offers a deeply empathetic vision of the traditional world of Islam and an intimate view into one man’s restless search for light through diverse places, races, and traditions. It is a thoroughly engrossing exhibition from an artist who is world-renowned for his ability to shed light on the rich cultural heritage of Islamic countries and reaffirms Ithra’s ongoing commitment to curating meaningful experiences that expand cultural boundaries and promote understanding and social harmony.”
Spread across five zones (The Beginnings, The Search, A Leap of Faith, Exploring the World, and Thankfulness), the exhibition forms a fascinating journey through Sanders’ life documenting his remarkable transition from photographing rock ‘n roll icons to capturing timeless images of people and places shaped by Islam.
Sanders travelled throughout India and then Morocco documenting the people’s various faiths. In 1971, he photographed the Hajj pilgrimage after obtaining rare permission for a westerner at that time.
Sanders’s physical journey ran in parallel with his own spiritual exploration which in turn led him to document the people, architecture, geography, and culture of the Islamic world.
The exhibition appropriately opens with “In The Shade of a Tree” thematically centered around the wisdom of the Prophet Muhammad. This compelling introduction is followed by “Signs of Fear” and “Signs of Hope” documenting the 60s cultural revolution which then segues into a series of works shedding light on musicians from that era including Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The Who, Eric Clapton and James Taylor before transitioning into works that span decades of Sanders’ exploration of the world of Islam including works such as “The Place of Ascension,” “The Night of Reflection” and “The Silver Thread Between Student and Teacher,” among many others.
