We invite you to the solo presentation of Slavs and Tatars as part of the inaugural edition of Art Basel Qatar in Doha, from 3 to 7 February (booth D209).
The first Middle Eastern edition of the world’s most important international art fair, Art Basel, takes place in the capital of Qatar under the artistic direction of renowned Egyptian artist Wael Shawky. The event is conceived in a more exhibition-oriented format rather than a strictly commercial fair, consisting of individual artist presentations. Raster has been selected among 87 galleries, as the only gallery from Central and Eastern Europe.
The presentation by the Slavs and Tatars collective brings together selected works from the Simurgh Self-Help and Language Arts series. The former is dedicated to the figure of the mythical Persian bird Simurgh, which—unlike the imperially charged symbol of the eagle—helps us unlock an empire of the senses and open ourselves to an otherworldly realm. Works from this series were first presented at the Slavs and Tatars exhibition at Raster in 2024.
Another installment of Slavs and Tatars’ linguistic explorations is the series of ceramic objects False Friends, produced in Mexico. Their forms derive from African ceramic traditions and combine anthropomorphic elements with Turkish words written in Arabic script. The inspiration here is Hurufism—a movement within Islam that attributes spiritual and mystical meanings to the letters of the alphabet, linking them to bodily and cosmic aspects.
Taking the shape of a samovar, a metal container used for brewing and serving tea, here the Simurgh doubles as a space of gathering, much like one does around a hearth or fire. A text becomes legible from the steam– “seclusion in society”– a mystical Sufi dictum suggesting one should be outwardly in the world, but inwardly with God.
Slavs and Tatars, Duck's Blood, 2024, woollen yarn, 400 × 300 cm
Astaneh evokes the use of steel and wrought iron window-shutters and gates often found in former socialist countries. Referring to the final scene of The Conference of the Birds, where the 30 birds at the end of their epic journey cross a threshold into a fortification to finally meet Simurgh, the steel gates feature different (mis)spellings of Simurgh in Kufic Latin and Arabic.
Slavs and Tatars, Astaneh (Kufic Latin), 2025, steel, glass, 105 × 75 × 21 cm
Slavs and Tatars, Astaneh (Arabic), 2025, steel, glass, 105 × 75 × 21 cm
A large bird’s claw features an elaborate manicure, as a nod to the gender fluidity of the Simurgh.
Slavs and Tatars, Stiletto 'س', hand-blown glass, hand-made faux nails, silver pendant, 60 × 30 × 25 cm
In recent years, across Eurasia, the Simurgh is undergoing a process of profanation or vulgarization akin to what transpired with the eagle over the past millenium. Where the eagle was once considered a divine bird, Zeus’ companion, the past couple centuries have seen the eagle become a shorthand for crass nationalism. Similarly, the metaphysical Simurgh has in recent decades graced logos of Azeri football clubs, Turkish telecommunications companies, Belarusian pharmaceutical a and Kazakh investment funds, to name a few. Signal (Warm) squarely re-sacralizes the bird, raising the alarm in an attempt to redeem its mystical origins.
Slavs and Tatars, Signal (Warm), 2025, resin, stainless steel, aluminium, spray paint, light bulb, 62 × 31 × 37 cm
False Friends revisits the ceramic tradition that originated with the Yoruba people of Nigeria and was later adopted by rural white communities in the southern United States. The series explores representation, beauty, and identity through ceramics. Inspired by Hurufism —a current within Islam which attributes spiritual and mystical meanings to the letters of the alphabet, associating them with physical and cosmic aspects. In each piece the collective attempts to represent Turkish words in their original Arabic spelling, using strokes that evoke facial hair such as eyebrows, eyelashes, moustaches, or beards, seeking visual and sonic resonances with indigenous mesoamerican languages.
Slavs and Tatars, False Friends (El siervo de Dios), 2025, glazed ceramic, 35 × 40 cm
Slavs and Tatars, False Friends (La Verdad), 2025, glazed ceramic, 32 × 35 cm
