In the summer of 2018, the Vancouver Biennale launched its 2018–2020 public art festival with Paradise Has Many Gates by Saudi artist and educator Ajlan Gharem. Unveiled at Vanier Park, the installation replicates the form of a traditional mosque using chain-link fencing—creating a structure that is both ethereal and cage-like. This contrast between sacred design and industrial material reflects the Biennale’s theme, re-IMAGE-n, encouraging viewers to question entrenched beliefs about religion, identity, and freedom.

Open to the public and the natural elements, the transparent mosque challenges the perception of Islamic spaces as hidden or threatening. Gharem’s message is simple yet profound: what happens inside a mosque is no different, whether it has walls or not. His installation invites transparency and reflection, particularly for those outside the Muslim community.

The piece also serves as a hub for cultural exchange. Set on former Indigenous land, it incorporated weaving by local First Nations artists and mandalas by Muslim Indo-Canadian poet Sheniz Janmohamed. During the opening ceremony, First Nations elders offered traditional songs from the mosque’s prayer niche, symbolizing unity and shared space.

Later exhibited in Houston, the mosque again sparked discussion. Its use of chain link evokes barriers from refugee camps and detention centers, bringing global concerns about exclusion and control into sharp focus. Ultimately, Gharem sees the mosque as both a symbol of authority and a community gathering place—an open-air invitation for dialogue, understanding, and confronting bias, illuminated like a beacon after dark.