Date: Saturday 26 October 2024 – Saturday 25 October 2025
Free Entry
Monday – Saturday. 10am – 4pm.
Closed Sundays & Bank Holidays.
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Location: Museum. 2nd floor.
In celebration of the 10th anniversary of our Egyptology Museum, we have invited contemporary artist Zahed Taj-Eddin to weave his Nu-Shabtis into the timeless narrative of artefacts permanently on display from the Goodison Collection. This new installation forges a poignant dialogue between the craftsmanship of the ancient and modern world.
Shabtis, also known as shawabti or ushabti, are figurines that once filled the tombs of ancient Egypt. In the eyes of the Egyptians, death was not an end but a threshold to another life, an eternal journey where shabtis would serve as tireless companions, performing labours in the afterlife. Even the poor had their humble shabtis, while the wealthy surrounded themselves with multitudes, each figurine arranged in a careful hierarchy. The overseer shabtis, adorned in the garments of the living, like kilts, commanded this army of the dead.
Zahed Taj-Eddin reimagines a world where these tombs are opened in our time, where his Nu-Shabtis awaken to a startling revelation: there is no afterlife, no god of the underworld, no masters to serve, and no tasks to complete. Freed from their ancient purpose, they become beings unbound—free to explore, to question, and to shape their own destinies.
The word ‘Nu’ is infused with a sense of the new and the liberated. These Nu-Shabtis wander through the modern world, some embracing our way of life, delighting in our endless consumption, our gadgets, and our fleeting pleasures. Others find their spirits ignited with rebellion, becoming protestors, freedom fighters, joining humanity’s timeless struggle for liberty.
In their varied responses to the present, they mirror the complexities and contradictions of our world, reflecting both our joys and our disquiet in this modern existence.
In ancient times, shabtis were crafted from an enigmatic material known as ‘Egyptian faience,’ often hailed as the first ‘high-tech’ ceramic. Composed of a fusion of siliceous elements coated in an alkaline glaze, this self-glazing material was both humble and luxurious, standing alongside precious stones like lapis lazuli and turquoise. In his PhD research, Taj-Eddin delved deep into the magic of faience, exploring its luminous quality and alchemical process. To the Egyptians, this brilliant material, called ‘tjehnet,’ (which meant “brilliant” or “dazzling”) symbolized light, life, rebirth and immortality, making it the perfect vessel for amulets and funerary objects, forever linked to the cycles of death and rebirth.
- Zahed Taj-Eddin, Nu-Shabtis
About Zahed Taj-Eddin
Born: Aleppo, Syria
Zahed possesses a deep fascination with history and ancient art. His sculptures are shaped by the echoes of archaeology, mythology, and the timeless beauty of ancient artifacts. Having worked on numerous archaeological digs across the Middle East, his hands have unearthed fragments of ancient ceramics and glass, studied their mysteries, and, in turn, felt compelled to craft forms that resonate with sublime simplicity and truth.
His process with clay is deeply intuitive, shaping sculptural ceramic figures that carry an organic elegance. These forms are finished with rich textures and naturalistic patinas, some appearing as though weathered by time itself—surfaces imbued with oxides and masterfully glazed to evoke the stories of centuries. Through this installation, Zahed reimagines the essence of ancient Egyptian shabtis, breathing new life into their form and meaning. His sculptures stand as both profound political commentary and mesmerizing objects, captivating in their beauty and depth.