Seeroo fi al ardh is one of the late Maqbool Fida Husain’s latest works. The artwork highlights the progress of humanity on land, in air and sea.

Maqbool Fida Husain, popularly known as M.F. Husain, was born over a century ago on 29 November 1913. As a painter intimately connected to his cultural setting, Husain was able to draw on the rich tapestry of religion, history, and social realities he witnessed throughout his life. Growing up in a time of mass upheaval, both personal and political, Husain took an early interest in art, teaching himself painting, calligraphy, and various other forms of expression.

This unusual art installation, in all its complexity, serves a simple purpose: to pay tribute to mankind’s spirit of innovation. The artwork tells the story of human progress, which began with mankind walking through this earth to discover the wonders of God’s creations.

This is an artwork imagined to be both kinetic and experiential. The artist visualized the installation in one of his sketches from 2009, having a mosaic wall painting depicting horses, a sculpture of Abbas ibn Firnas suspended from the ceiling, a sculpture of da Vinci’s flying machine, colored glass horses, and vintage cars. In his own words, “the entire ensemble is like a performance of dancing horses in crystal glass set to the tune of traditional song of horsemanship, chivalry and strength”.

This artwork is permanently placed on the grounds of Education City, next to Chef’s Garden and Al Shaqab.