Fatal’s Beads series features an ornamental bead curtain with a palindrome at its center—a Hebrew word that can be read the same both forward and backward. This palindrome, a question about time, asks whether something is possible in the future or if it has already occurred in the past. The work elevates the beaded curtain, a commonplace object often found in Middle Eastern restaurants, into a metaphysical exploration of time, faith, and belonging. Through this transformation, Fatal connects the mundane to the sacred, a central theme in his practice.

First shown in the 2008 exhibition Traces du Sacré at the Centre Pompidou, curated by Jean de Loisy, this work has since been displayed internationally. While adapting to different contexts and periods, it maintains a focus on the intersection of belief, culture, and the possibility of transcendence. Through the lens of this bead curtain, Fatal invites viewers to reflect on questions of faith, entry, and the fluidity of time, all while presenting a critique of cultural aesthetics and the relationship between the sacred and the mundane.

The beads are arranged into 53 strands, which also function as a genealogical metaphor, weaving past, present, and future into a continuous thread. This symbolic construction of the gate becomes a question about entry—both literal and spiritual—into a divine or metaphysical realm. The palindrome, representing cyclical time, echoes themes of fate, continuity, and the potential for spiritual passage, turning an everyday object into a profound metaphysical inquiry.