Sudan is known for its majestic pyramids, but that’s not all the country has to offer. Sudan is also known for its revolutionary art and several leading art forms were born here.
That said, many are still unfamiliar with prominent Sudanese artists. So, here is a brief preview of the leading personalities who have dominated the Sudanese arts and culture segment.
1. Ibrahim El Salahi
Formerly a civil servant, Ibrahim El-Salahi is perhaps best known for his impeccable artwork. He is a leading visual artist of the iconic Khartoum school, best known for his role in Africa’s modernism.
The school is also known for its rendezvous with the Hurufiyya movement in art, which invented a mix of conventional modes in Islamic calligraphy with contemporary and quite modern art forms.
2. Dahlia Abdelilah
If you are fond of art styles in Khartoum and looking for unique and eye-catching paintings in this genre, you may want to check out Dahlia Abdelilah’s artwork. Unlike popular artists in the Sudanese art scene, Dahlia is self-taught.
She started her journey with artwork from Khartoum and eventually combined unique artistic styles to create something extraordinary. The biggest highlight of the work is probably in the assortment.
From monochromes to oil paintings – her work is unique to say the least. Although her different works display different styles, femininity is a recurring theme. This is coupled with imagination to create the best works of art out there. Another remarkable aspect of her work is her originality.
Although she is influenced by multiple styles, she uses them to create something new. Fortunately, she succeeded in this, because all her works of art convey the message of beauty and conventionalism in all its possible forms.
3. Wefang Ibrahim
Wefang Ibrahim is a leading contemporary art artist in Sudan. Interestingly, artistry is not his only profession from Wefang. She works as a doctor in the oncology department of the Khartoum Research Center.
Her art reflects her professional experiences and she seems to find the best form of expression in abstract styles and shapes. Wefang also has an organic desire to choose from a range of colors and then mix them to create something extraordinary.
As with Dahlia, Wefang was not formally trained in art. However, she discovered her passion for the arts and culture segments during her formative years in school. She talks about playing with colors to explore her multiple forms of self-expression and over time the usual play turned into something constructive and artistic.
Wefang believes in the divine and she feels that no talent can reach the ultimate form of self-expression without divine intervention. She believes in perfection and keeps coming up with unique artworks to better educate herself.
In addition, she also explores and experiments with different color combinations to develop the perfect technique and texture.
4. Khalid Al-Bayh
This is yet another popular Sudanese artist best known for his satirical comics and impeccable graffiti. The biggest highlight in his cartoons is the political aspect of it.
As mentioned earlier, Khalid uses politics and satire as vessels to express his deeper political thoughts. This is also attributed to the fact that he is a political and civil rights professional and journalist. Having spent his formative years in Doha, Qatar, he specializes in all forms of visual satire.
The cartoons are thus a vessel to shed more light on the political instability of his country. Interestingly, he also talks about the happenings around the world through his art. Khalid and his art have created and established a new genre in Sudanese art and has been much talked about and written about in popular international magazines including (but not limited to) the Atlantic and NPR.
You will find his published work under the title of Khartoon – which is a quirky twist on Cartoon and its location – Khartoum. His art is remarkable to say the least and he comes up with unique variations at every turn to keep the work interesting.
5. Deng Chol
A painter from Sudan, born in the 1980s, Deng has had artistic influences since childhood. He talks about his childhood playing with colors and over time he cultivated this passion for artistry. By the time he was 17, he started attending art programs at Helwan University.
His subject was fine arts, although he also studied science at the Libyan University of Khoms. Unlike the modern artists of his time, the majority of Deng’s artwork incorporates an artistic element from Sudanese history and Sudan’s local conventions and norms.
He also borrows some elements from the international art scene and fervently tries to uphold African culture in the global art scene. The recurring theme in his artworks are the normal human norms, the different forms of mythology and the values we inculcate as humans.
When it comes to style, it can best be described as African abstract art with elements of contemporary style. The defining aspect of his paintings lies in the richness of textures, the uniqueness of patterns and the combination of multiple techniques.
The man is also known as co-founder of Anatban, an art studio in the southern parts of Sudan. Currently, Deng lives in Nairobi and is a participating member of the Kobo Art Center.
6. Ream Al Jelly
Ream is best known for his vibrant artwork that speaks to your soul. She developed a unique artistic style that has made her a leading figure in the contemporary art scene.
Due to her immense talent, the majority of her artwork can be seen in top Sudanese art galleries. The best part: she has also had exhibitions in the US, France, South Africa and Qatar, among others.
Apart from being an exceptional artist, Ream also patronizes the local art scene and has curated the works of leading local artists in top exhibitions. She is closely associated with the Muse Multi Studios.
It boils down
Thanks to their myriad styles and talent for experimentation, Sudanese artists take center stage when it comes to originality and experimentation. Their artworks contain conventional elements yet combine them beautifully with the modern.