Curated by Dr. Fathi Osman & Yafil Mubarak
Sudan was once the largest country in Africa before the separation of the South, with an unparalleled cultural, ethnic and geographical diversity. The visual arts in Sudan have a long history spanning thousands of years, as evidenced by various monuments of sculpture (2500-1500 BCE in Dokki Gel, near the ancient city of Kerma), painting (Early Nubian Murals 3000–2000 BCE in Tombos near the Third Cataract of the Nile), ceramics (Early Khartoum Culture 9,000–7,000 BCE in Shaheinab north of Omdurman) and unique crafts, but the modern visual arts movement in Sudan is dated by the establishment of the School of Design at Gordon Memorial College in 1946 by the Scottish-French painter Jean-Pierre Greenlaw.
The year 1946 was a game changer! It was the year that marked the beginning of organised academic art education based on a Western/European curriculum. This step brought the idea of distinguishing between aesthetic artistic value and immediate utility, as the concept of art for art's sake was not yet prevalent. The new curricula introduced by the British colonialists played a pivotal role in this significant change. They knew how important art education was, so they ensured it was a priority at all levels, from primary to secondary. This allowed talented students to develop their artistic abilities and then choose art as a speciality and profession.
Sudanese artists have contributed significantly to contemporary African art movement, with their works adorning museums in the Middle East, Europe and the United States. The visual art scene in Sudan is diverse and dynamic. It encompasses artists who are just as important as the well-known names in the media today. It also features movements and contributions that extend beyond the Khartoum School, a term coined by the late Caribbean artist Dennis Williams to describe the work of Salahi, Shibrain and others in the 1960s. We know that many of the pioneer artists and those who received academic training in the Western tradition, especially in British art schools, left a legacy in the fields of painting, sculpture, printmaking and ceramics. Through their talent and creativity, they laid the foundation upon which the modern plastic movement in Sudan was built. Their contributions and names are, unfortunately, still unknown to many because they did not fit within the framework of the movement that has received recognition in the media and academic institutions.
Between the mid-1940s and the early 1960s, many Sudanese were sent to study and train in the arts at British colleges and institutes. They came from a variety of backgrounds in terms of academic qualifications and training, but what they all had in common was artistic talent and a desire to specialise in the arts, and they were spread across disciplines including drawing and painting, sculpture, engraving, ceramics and textile design and printmaking. They were educated at the Camberwell Institute, the Slade School, the Royal College of Art and the Royal Academy of Arts. Upon their return to Sudan, these pioneers contributed to the enrichment of the artistic movement, especially in the 1960s and 1970s, in conjunction with the exciting rise of the literary and political movements, and the emergence of calls for a national identity in opposition to Western cultural hegemony in the immediate post-colonial period.
This exhibition was curated with the ambitious goal of offering a comprehensive glimpse into the remarkable contributions of Sudanese plastic artists. However, due to the timing of the exhibition and the ongoing challenges posed by the war in Sudan, accessing many of the works presented a significant challenge. The exhibition showcases a selection of these works, igniting the hope that, with time, the situation will improve, allowing us to bring these pioneering artists' creations together in one place.
It is noticeable that the Sudanese library lacks books that document and chronicle the plastic arts movement. There are very few publications that monitor the experience in general or specialize in a particular artist, and this represents one of the shortcomings in the promotion of this art form, despite its significant achievements at regional and international levels. In 2004, Dr Rashid Diab's book Plastic Art in Sudan was published, the English translation of which is released alongside this exhibition. In 2008, Mohamed Abdel Rahman Hassan published his book Omer Khairy: His Life and Art, and in 2010, the sculptor and educator Abdel Raziq Abdel Ghaffar published a book entitled The Philosophy of Aesthetic Education and the Origins of the Arts: Bakht al-Rida and Mr Greenlaw. These were followed by Beit al-Jak: A Dialogue with Ibrahim El Salahi by Fathi Osman in 2011, A Fistful of Dust, the autobiography of Ibrahim El Salahi in 2013, followed by an English version in 2021 entitled At Home in the World: A Memoir. In 2019, Salah Hassan Abdalla's book Plastic Art Literature in Sudan and in 2023, From Rufaa to Florence: A Dialogue with the Sculptor Abdel Raziq Abdel Ghaffar by Fathi Osman was published. Otherwise, there are only sporadic references to the contributions of Sudanese artists in various publications and their exhibition catalogues.
This group exhibition includes works by Osman Waqialla, Ibrahim El Salahi, Ahmed Shibrain, Kamala Ibrahim Ishag, Tagelsir Ahmed, Hassan El Hadi, Hussein Shariffe, Mohamed Ahmed Abdalla Abbaro, Amir Nour, and Omar Khairy. It was dreamed that the exhibition would also include works by Mohamed Omar Khalil, Muhyiddin El Gunaid, Bastawi Baghdadi, Majzoub Rabah, Ibrahim Al Awam, Siddiq El Nujoumi, Ahmed Hamid El Arabi, Mohamed El Hassan Abdulrahim Shaygi and others.