His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasmi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, inaugurated also yesterday night Tuesday March 20, the exhibition Ibrahim El-Salahi: A Visionary Modernist, which is hosted by Sharjah Museums Department at the Sharjah Art Museum. HH was accompanied by Sheikh Abdullah Bin Salem Al Qasimi, Deputy Ruler of Sharjah.
The guests were received by Manal Ataya, Director-General of Sharjah Museums Department, the artist Ibrahim El-Salahi, Lisa Binder, curator of contemporary art at the Museum for African Art, New York, and Salah M. Hassan, guest curator, Cornell University, NY, Elsie McCabe President of Museum for African Art, as well as a large number of senior directors from SMD.
The opening ceremony, which received a remarkable media interest and converges, was attended by Sheikh Essam bin Saqr bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Office of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah, Sheikh Khalid bin Saqr bin Hamad Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Department of Public Works, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Thani, Director General of Sharjah Statistics Centre,
and Sheikh Salem bin Abdul Rahman bin Salem Al Qasimi, Director of the Office of His Highness the Ruler of Sharjah,, HE Khamis bin Salem bin Khamis Al Suwaidi, Chairman of the Department of Suburbs and Villages Affairs, and HE Salem bin Obaid Al Hassan Al Shamsi, Chairman of the Municipal Council of Sharjah, HE Mohammed Dhiab Al Mousa, Adviser at the Emiri Court, and HE Jamal Al Tarif, Adviser at the Office of HH the Ruler of Sharjah & prominent Arab and international artists and media representatives.
The ceremony started with a reception of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasmi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, who toured the exhibition, which is being held for the first time in the Middle East, in the UAE.
Shaikh Sultan expressed his extreme admiration for the paintings and artworks displayed at the exhibition due to their historical, artistic and human value & thanked organizers of this exhibition, which adds significantly to Sharjah’s landmark achievements.
The exhibition, organized by the Museum for African Art in New York, will run through 31 May. It will coincide with the touring exhibition from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A), titled “Owen Jones: Islamic design, Discovery and Vision,” which will be held at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization from 21 March -15 July.
Ibrahim El-Salahi: A Visionary Modernist is a retrospective of the famous Sudanese artist Ibrahim El-Salahi’s exemplary work that recognizes his rich contributions to contemporary art. The retrospective comprises 80 works spanning over five decades of the artist’s career. It traces work produced during El-Salahi’s travels from Sudan, while in detention as a political prisoner, and later in self-imposed exile in Qatar, and on his continued spiritual journey in Oxford, United Kingdom.
El-Salahi’s imprisonment and self-imposed exile considerably affected the aesthetic orientation of his art works, yet his unique style exceeds all geographic and cultural boundaries. His trademark linear style remains a pre-eminent unifying device expressing the intuitive merging of Islamic spirituality with critical social consciousness. The exhibition shows how El-Salahi’s artworks and critical writings have contributed significantly to enriching the movement of modernism in Africa and the Arab world, as well as to inspiring many generations of artists in Sudan.
El-Salahi’s masterpiece titled "Vision of the Tomb" is the main highlight at the exhibition. It combines the abstract elements of the Arabic letter with Sudanese earthy colors and expressive forms. "Vision of the Tomb" reflects the Khartoum School’s style which explored the abstract and representational symbolic potential of the Arabic letter, as realized in Sudanese script and decorated by African ornaments.
The exhibition, which highlights drawings, paintings, and literary ephemera on loan from international institutions and private collections, shows El-Salahi’s deep reflections on human nature and spirituality which are clearly manifested in his works.
Speaking on the occasion, Manal Ataya, Sharjah Museums Department’s Director-General states, "hosting this exhibition, which highlights the exemplary work of contemporary artist Ibrahim El-Salahi is aimed at honoring El-Salahi and his journey of art creativity and critical writings”. It also comes in line with our commitment to highlighting the most prominent artists on the art arena and introducing their outstanding experiences that inspired many generations of artists in Sudan and other places in Africa. The exhibition offers a wonderful opportunity, to the public and those interested in Islamic art and contemporary art, to benefit from the work of one of the most influential contemporary artists and recognize his prestigious works, writings and criticism which contributed mainly to the movement of modernism in Africa and the Arab World."
Ataya stressed that the exhibition would add a new feather to Sharjah’s cap of landmark achievements on the cultural arena. She added, "we host art exhibitions and cultural activities in line with our commitment to the approach laid by His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, and because we are fully aware of the important role that arts can play in bridging the gap between human cultures and peoples." She thanked artist Ibrahim El-Salahi, Ms. Lisa Binder, Dr. Salah Hassan, as well as all the Art Museum’s staff for their efforts in organizing this prestigious event.
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