Sakan

Ink on xuan paper, with brocade silk hanging scroll mounting by the artist
1630 × 450 mm (when displayed)
450 × 55 × 40 mm (rolled for storage)
2026

In Chinese art and literature, the swallow and willow are enduring symbols of spring’s arrival and the return of the wanderer. As migratory birds that return to the same nests each year, swallows have long represented the youzi, the traveller who finds his way home after a long period of journeying.

Inspired by this symbolism of return and belonging, the artist incorporates the Quranic verse from Surah An-Nahl (16:80):

وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّن بُيُوتِكُمْ سَكَنًا

(“And Allah has made for you from your homes a place of rest and tranquility.”)

The word sakan (سكن), meaning a place of peace, stillness, and comfort, deepens the work’s meditation on home as both a physical and spiritual refuge.

The work is presented as an elegant hanging scroll, with green brocade silk evoking the lushness of willow leaves and the sense of shelter and belonging embodied in the imagery of home.