(Courtesy Sama Alshaibi)

Artist Sama Alshaibi

(Courtesy Sama Alshaibi)

Sama Alshaibi, Fatnis al-Jazirah (Fantasy Island), 2014, from the series “Silsila,” 2009 – 16. Inkjet pigment print, 27 ½ x 39 3/8 inches. Courtesy of the artist and Ayyam Gallery, Dubai, United Arab Emirates. © Sama Alshaibi

Artist Sama Alshaibi spent nearly seven years traveling around the Middle East and North Africa for her exhibit, called “Silsila.”

That’s Arabic for link or chain link, and the University of Arizona professor’s work is currently on display at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. The exhibit includes photos, videos, prints and sculptures. Throughout the various mediums two major themes emerge: the desert and water.

"I wanted to learn the lessons of the desert, of what's really important," Alshaibi said. "There's life in the desert, it's hard to find, but it's there and people have persevered, where I'm from, for centuries in the desert."

"Silsila" will be on display at the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art through Sept. 18, 2016.