Picture a landscape that bears the scars of drought: A pale, dusty horizon of dried out, desiccated palm trees. Some still stand, like scarred and twisted Greek columns, while others, bent under their own weight, have fallen, deformed and warped in various states of collapse – an army of skeletal remains of what was once a lush, verdant oasis.

It was this landscape that inspired Shaqayeq Arabi’s series, Memories Within. Passing through the scene of decay, she was incited to recreate an image of what the trees once were – a sense of compassion causing her to collect dried bushes and plants whose stricken roots still remained rooted in the dry soil. Preserving them became a way for Arabi to extend their life, capturing a moment and honoring their memories, harking back to what they once were, finding beauty even in their death and in doing so, allowing them to bloom again.