Stone in all its beauty

In Stones & Veins, his new show at Dubai's XVA Gallery, Walid Siti seeks to explore the place stones occupy in the Arab tradition, from the holy Kaaba in Mecca to the mountain rock the Kurds believe is their only friend.

Stones are embedded with a wealth of symbolic meaning drawing people together and reinforcing social codes, the artist says, positing the subject as a universal symbol, which crosses cultures, time and place.

Siti, born in 1954, has exhibited in the United Kingdon and Europe, as well as in the UAE. His work is in several public collections, including The British Museum, London; The National Gallery of Amman, Jordan; and The World Bank in Washington DC.