The Monad as a Structural Unit in Contemporary Arab Sculpture: A Study of Its Emergence and Development

Abstract

Contemporary Arab sculpture has not developed along a single predetermined formal or intellectual trajectory; rather, it has emerged in diverse forms that reflect a multiplicity of aesthetic visions and approaches, both in technical methods and in the treatment of material and form. Many sculptors have sought to explore the latent essence of the sculptural work, leading to the emergence of the concept of the monad as a perspective that expresses the unity of the work’s internal configuration and its autonomous individuality.

This concept endows sculpture with a dimension that transcends its material appearance, directing attention toward the distinctive essence of each individual work and enabling a deeper understanding of the sculptural work as an integrated entity. Arab sculptors have sought to create works characterized by a self-contained structural unity that reflects the autonomy of form and its distinctiveness from other artistic experiences, thereby allowing each sculptural piece to constitute an independent entity in its own right.

This approach highlights the relationship between form, material, and space and provides a deeper perspective on the development of contemporary Arab sculpture. By examining the monad as a structural unit, the study makes it possible to trace its emergence and transformations across different sculptural works.