Searching for Light - Makkah
Peter Sanders’ exhibition, “Searching for Light,” recently opened at the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) in Dhahran. I was fortunate enough to attend the opening and hear what Sanders, the leading photographer of the Muslim world, had to say about the work in his first retrospective in Saudi Arabia. However, it was not until my second visit – crowd-free, unrushed, and quiet – that I found deep resonance with the work. This exquisite exhibition very clearly portrays one man’s story of his spiritual journey.
Giving Back and Celebrating Life
“Searching for Light” is a tight edit featuring 85 iconic images from Sanders’ catalog of over 500,000 photos. The show is broken down into five chronological and spiritual sections: “Signs in a New Age,” “The Search,” “Into the World of Islam,” “Beauty and Trauma,” and “Giving Back and Celebrating Life.”
Sanders’ early years as a photographer were in the music world photographing such luminaries as the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, James Taylor, Bob Dylan, and more. Six of his concert photos are included in the “Signs in a New Age” selection with the most artistically interesting being an image of The Who performing in London in 1970. I initially questioned why these concert photos were included in the story of a spiritual journey, but on closer look, it became clear that each of these musicians is in “the zone” – they are all experiencing their own spiritual journey as they perform.
The Search
Sanders’s next chapter, “The Search,” details his personal spiritual quest. He traveled to India, Egypt, Japan, Senegal, and Turkey photographing ashrams, monasteries, hermitages, mosques, and temples as well as those who worshipped within those walls. As he says: “I explored Sacred Spaces and bathed in the peace they gave me.” The people he encountered on his way contributed to his growth as well. He found himself in crowds of other Westerners also searching for enlightenment. He encountered extreme poverty in people but found those people to be spiritually rich; a deep contrast to the people he knew in the Western world who were materially well-off, but losing any semblance of spirituality.
Doors of the Holy Kaaba
Eventually, Sanders found the answers he was seeking in Islam. Converting to Islam in 1971, Sanders was one of the first Westerners to photograph the Hajj, which he did initially in 1972. Sanders’ tenacity as he makes his photos may be exactly what makes his photos so incredible. He climbs mountains, not to mention the eaves of the Blue Mosque. He brought 30 boxes of equipment into the holy Kaaba and spent a week learning to use an 8x10 camera to spend one hour photographing the early morning light on the Kaaba’s golden doors. It took two weeks to arrange a photoshoot at the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca, not two weeks arranging for permission, but two weeks to arrange to simultaneously have the 100-foot doors opened, the prayer rugs removed, the sliding roof opened, the tourists and worshippers ushered out – all for a photo that took less than a second to create.
Traditional Life - Morocco
Sanders has patience when making his photographs. He found a wall with interesting graffiti in South Morocco. He sat and waited until just the right people walked into the frame. At the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, he sat on the stairs as the sun went down and photographed a scholar going to pray. In Rabat he found himself at a café across from the old city walls. He framed a shot and then waited till the perfect person walked by. In fact, his latest book is the culmination of extreme patience. “Meeting with Mountains” is the result of Sanders photographing and meeting the sages and saints of Islam for over 50 years.
Into the World of Islam and Muzdalifah
Ultimately, Sanders’ show is about light. We have the metaphor of searching for light, whether it be looking for truth, spirituality, or God. But beyond the metaphor, actual light and shadow play a critical role in Sanders’ story. The majority of the carefully chosen photographs feature light and shadow whether it is in a reflection on a face, the robes of a worshipper lit up while the rest of the photo is muted, an illuminated mosque in Makkah during the early morning prayer (Fajr), the stark light of the desert, the rich soft light of an ancient town, or the light framing a Quran scholar within a 1,000 year-old Beijing mosque. Additionally, Sanders photographed Jebel Nur (Mountain of Light) where the Prophet Mohammed retreated to a cave to be alone with Allah. And finally, Muzdalifah during Hajj, a night when pilgrims pray and reflect. The light reflecting on the pilgrims seems to be coming from heaven itself.
The Aspiration of Man - Sultan Ahmad Mosque Istanbul
The second time I visited this exhibit, I noticed visitors rushing past each photo. Some groups would stop and talk about a photo, but for the most part, people were in and out within ten minutes. If you have the opportunity to see this show (or really, any of Peter Sanders photos) take the time to study each image. Unlike many photographers, Sanders does not tell you the camera settings he uses, at most he will tell you the fraction of a second it took to create that image. Allow yourself more than a fraction of a second to absorb the story he is telling you.
The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) is a wonderful resource and treasure here in the Eastern Province. Built by Aramco and opened in 2018, Ithra offers a plethora of cultural experiences from art exhibitions to concerts to theatrical performances to an Aramcorama exhibition. If you live here and not yet had the pleasure of visiting Ithra, run – do not walk – to this amazing venue. If you are a former Aramcon and thinking of coming back for a visit, absolutely make it a priority to visit Ithra.