The title of this exhibition is borrowed from the title Muhannad Shono gave in 2019 to a series of works in which he worked on the “word”. Starting from the consideration of its current crisis, from noticing that the “word” has hardened, that it promotes distances rather than closeness, that it has become literal and barely metaphorical, his work explores different forms to restore its imaginary possibilities. Shono combines words and writing, and in turn, the latter with drawing. It is for this reason, and because of the variety of resources he usually works with, that he chooses for this series charcoal and paper, two materials that are both simple and ductile, to experiment with them not only on the plane but also as volume. This is the origin of The Silent Press, which asserts itself with its still presence, tense and calm at the same time, as if it contained the dynamics of a constant flow of movement. A light metal structure supports the continuous flow of a roll of paper whose writings (texts, drawings?) are illegible and, possibly for this very reason, hypnotically draw our attention. The subtlety of the charcoal marks – random, automatic, accidental – on each of the clear surfaces where the different works that make up this Saudi artist’s exhibition are displayed, becomes an enigma that challenges the imagination and, along with it, the possibility of relearning to read in a different manner, discovering codes and clues that lead us away from what we know and open up other paths to understanding and reflection. 

Diana B. Wechsler