SUDANESE SHOWCASE THEIR WORK
Nov 30, 2006
SUDANESE art continues to make its mark on the Ugandan scene. And just as the ongoing exhibition at Tulifanya Gallery on Hanington Road shows, Sudanese and Ugandan artists have a lot to offer to society.
By Stephen Ssenkaaba
SUDANESE art continues to make its mark on the Ugandan scene. And just as the ongoing exhibition at Tulifanya Gallery on Hanington Road shows, Sudanese and Ugandan artists have a lot to offer to society.
The exhibition, which opened last Saturday and runs until December 9, features El- Tayib and Hussein Halfawi, two Sudanese artists.
The two artists use their international experience in painting to communicate.
El- Tayib uses a semi abstract palette to explore his most deep-seated emotions about human nature. His work exhibits an unquenchable fascination with human figures, more so the female body which he poignantly portrays in intricate free flowing line patterns and thick glazes of colour- brown, green, red and all take on a sombre reflective face in El-Tayib’s work.
His paintings, executed in acrylics, ink and canvass, enjoy a rich blend of colours as well as space. His themes blend modern art technique with ancient Sudanese motifs.
He also experiments with collages in form of textile materials adding a new feel of texture and presence to his work.
But for all the interesting images, his work remains largely introspective, subjective and somewhat detached from the real world.
Halfawi too goes to painful lengths to express his ideas in an even more mysterious palette. His work depicts a maze of intertwining caricatures pasted onto mundane colour schemes of largely earthy browns, and bits of blues.
His penchant for intricacy and mystery leaves the viewer with a lot to think about on the one hand and very little to make out on the other.
It is not easy to get into Halfawi’s work. It defies conventional rules on aesthetics, form, perspective and other important elements.
This however does not deprive his palette of acrylics on canvass of depth of colour and rich texture enhanced with collages.
SUDANESE art continues to make its mark on the Ugandan scene. And just as the ongoing exhibition at Tulifanya Gallery on Hanington Road shows, Sudanese and Ugandan artists have a lot to offer to society.
The exhibition, which opened last Saturday and runs until December 9, features El- Tayib and Hussein Halfawi, two Sudanese artists.
The two artists use their international experience in painting to communicate.
El- Tayib uses a semi abstract palette to explore his most deep-seated emotions about human nature. His work exhibits an unquenchable fascination with human figures, more so the female body which he poignantly portrays in intricate free flowing line patterns and thick glazes of colour- brown, green, red and all take on a sombre reflective face in El-Tayib’s work.
His paintings, executed in acrylics, ink and canvass, enjoy a rich blend of colours as well as space. His themes blend modern art technique with ancient Sudanese motifs.
He also experiments with collages in form of textile materials adding a new feel of texture and presence to his work.
But for all the interesting images, his work remains largely introspective, subjective and somewhat detached from the real world.
Halfawi too goes to painful lengths to express his ideas in an even more mysterious palette. His work depicts a maze of intertwining caricatures pasted onto mundane colour schemes of largely earthy browns, and bits of blues.
His penchant for intricacy and mystery leaves the viewer with a lot to think about on the one hand and very little to make out on the other.
It is not easy to get into Halfawi’s work. It defies conventional rules on aesthetics, form, perspective and other important elements.
This however does not deprive his palette of acrylics on canvass of depth of colour and rich texture enhanced with collages.