Saks Afridi: SpaceMosque

From multidisciplinary artist and award-winning creative director Saks Afridi, SpaceMosque is a speculative narrative that examines a forgotten global event at the turn of the millennium. Through a collection of recovered artifacts, sound, and archival traces, the work constructs a fragmented account of an extraordinary event reported across multiple cities in which collective prayers were said to have been answered.

At its centre is the reported emergence of a mysterious, otherworldly vessel that appeared across cities worldwide in shifting forms, operating as a spiritually conscious prayer gateway — one that dissolves the boundaries between technology, architecture, memory, and faith.

About the Artist

Saks Afridi

Learn about Saks Afridi

Saks Afridi

Born in 1975 in Peshawar, Pakistan, Saks Afridi is a multidisciplinary artist based in New York City.

Afridi’s work occupies a self-defined genre he calls “Sci-Fi Sufism”, a spiritual and speculative practice that explores the vast galaxies within the self. By fusing mysticism with narrative, his art visualizes the inner quest for meaning through a blend of Sufi poetry, South Asian folklore, Islamic mythology, science fiction, architecture, and calligraphy.

His practice also explores the condition of the “Insider Outsider”, a term he uses to describe the pursuit of belonging while being out of place. Through this lens, Afridi recontextualizes cultural and historical narratives in contemporary settings, reflecting on themes of displacement, dual identity, and transcultural joy.

Afridi’s process is deeply collaborative. Drawing from his background in advertising, he frequently works with painters, architects, artisans, fashion designers, 3D modellers, and fabricators to bring his visions to life. His interest in analog technologies, including vintage cars, often informs his sculptural work, where mechanical parts become poetic devices.

He studied advertising at the Academy of Art and sculpture at the Art Students League of New York. He speaks English, Urdu, Pashto, and conversational Arabic.

Afridi’s work has been recognized with multiple Cannes Lions, D&AD and One Show Pencils, and a United Nations Award for Peace & Understanding. His art has been featured in Artforum, The New York Times, BBC, Al Jazeera, CNN, and even on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

Curated by

Marianne Fenton

Learn about Marianne Fenton

Marianne Fenton

Marianne Fenton is an artist and art history scholar who joined the Aga Khan Museum in 2017. She completed her Masters in Fine Arts at Stellenbosch University, South Africa, and holds an MA in Contemporary Art History from OCAD University, Toronto. Since joining the Aga Khan Museum, she has curated numerous exhibitions of contemporary art, including: Skate Girls of Kabul (2017), Don’t Ask Me Where I’m From (2019), State of Play (2021), Ghazaleh Avarzamani’s Terms and Conditions Apply* (2021), Afghanistan My Love (2022), and Shezad Dawood: Night in the Garden of Love (2023/4).

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About the Artist

Saks Afridi

Curated by

Marianne Fenton