Open Space #19 Mohammad Alfaraj
- Place
- Gallery 8
"I’d rather be a dragonfly than a lion"
As part of its Open Space program, the Fondation Louis Vuitton has invited Saudi artist Mohammad Alfaraj (b. 1993, Saudi Arabia) to create a site-specific work in Gallery 8, marking his first solo exhibition in a French institution.
Free access with a ticket for the "Gustave Fayet, Collector - Designer. Icons of Modern Art" exhibition.
A multidisciplinary artist, Mohammad Alfaraj develops a practice spanning writing, video, photography, drawing, and sculpture rooted in the Al Ahsa oasis, where he lives and works.
Drawing on Saudi Arabia’s oral traditions, he explores social practices, urban and rural architectures, and everyday narratives to examine the relationships between humans and nature. His works often take the form of poetic fables that engage with contemporary ecological, social, and cultural issues.
"I’d rather be a dragonfly than a lion"
© Mohammad Alfaraj
The exhibition I'd rather be a dragonfly than a lion brings together a series of videos within an installation composed of objects, photographs, and drawings. These stop-motion animations draw on the collective imaginaries of his native country, giving form to poetic narratives that he writes and performs himself.
Working with a deliberate economy of means, Mohammad Alfaraj undertakes every stage of the creative process, from writing through to the creation of characters and sets, shooting, and animation. Set within the cultural context of Al Ahsa, these narratives bring together imagination, collective memory, and the living world, achieving a resonance that extends far beyond their place of origin.
Curators
Claudia Buizza and Ludovic Delalande (Fondation Louis Vuitton).
The exhibition I’d rather be a dragonfly than a lion by Mohammad Alfaraj is presented in partnership with Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha (Qatar), which will present a solo exhibition by the artist in 2027.
OPEN SPACE PROGRAMME
Open Space is a program dedicated to contemporary art, offering the possibility of a solo exhibition and the production of a new work.
Mohammad Alfaraj
Mohammad Alfaraj (1993, Saudi Arabia) earned a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering from King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals (KFUPM) in 2017. His work has been featured in various international solo and group exhibitions, notably at Desert X (2026); the Taipei Biennial (2025); the Diriyah Contemporary Art Biennial (2024); the Islamic Arts Biennial (2023); Noor Riyadh (2023 and 2022); the 16th Lyon Biennial (2022); Jameel Arts Centre (2022); 21,39 Jeddah Arts (2020); Athr Gallery, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2020 and 2018); the Sharjah Islamic Festival (2019); the Sharjah Art Foundation (2019); Le Murate Pac, Florence, Italy (2019); 21,39 Jeddah Arts (2017 and 2019); Saudi Film Festival, Dammam, Saudi Arabia (2015) and the Dubai International Film Festival (2014).
). In 2019, he participated in the Can Serrat - International Art Residency in Barcelona, Spain, and more recently in the AlUla Art Residency in 2022. The Art Jameel Center dedicated its first institutional solo exhibition to him in 2025-26, titled Seas are sweet, fish tears are salty.
Mohammad Alfaraj is represented by Mennour, Paris (France), and Athr Gallery, Jeddah (Saudi Arabia).
