Almas Art Foundation presents Sudan Retold, an exhibition that navigates the lived and living experiences of Sudan, all the way to the present, exploring the relationship between culture and personal identity. Sudan Retold curated by Khalid Albaih, Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann and Rahiem Shadad, features photography, painting, multimedia installations, as well as personal archives and poetry, including works from participating artists such as Waleed Mohammad and Yasmeen Abdullah Ahmed Saeed, as well as 13 others.
A small one-room exhibition is packed with rich stories that build up a vivid landscape and understanding of Sudan’s identity. The curation emphasises on not being an exhibition that tells just Sudan’s history; it’s a portrait of Sudan then and now and shows how the past is still fluid in the present. Waleed Mohammad’s Echoes of the Studio: Faces from the Archive explores this idea by using archival family photographs and studio portraits as holders of memory, identity and intergenerational continuity. These three acrylic paintings feature the portraits and figures in monochrome, set against colourful backdrops, contrasting and joining the past with the present. The facial features are blurred, offering only faint glimpses. Here memory emerges indicating the forgotten features and hopes of preservation.
Yasmeen Abdullah Ahmed Saaed’s striking three-piece acrylic paintings are a visual translation of Muhammed Al-Fayturi’s poem Melody of a Wandering Dervish. The use of light in these paintings is the focal point: warm hues that draw the eyes are set around a cold and isolating backdrop of colours. One of the three, titled The Stranger’s Mirror is dark blue, with an unidentifiable blue figure peering into a mirror on the wall. Despite its depth, the dark blue feels bleak and desperate, the figure reflects back nothing but a vague blue shape. There is a sense of search and a need to discover or reclaim one’s own identity in this piece. Saaed discusses her thoughts and inspirations behind these paintings saying that she translated the emotions and questions evoked from Al-Fayturi’s poem – isolation and belonging being the main ones. These three 50x50cm canvases are arranged in a straight vertical line, unfolding a story through their stacked sequencing.
The curation is orderly and simple, yet it conveys a deep and resonant message. There is a gradual and smooth transition from history to culture and the present with the two themes seamlessly blending to reiterate the overarching narrative of the exhibition. In some cases, however, the presentation could benefit from some refinement. For example, Bokhari Hamid’s The Head of Augustus, a small digital piece, was positioned alone on a dimly lit wall making it easy to overlook amidst the more prominently displayed works.
There is a strong emphasis on culture throughout the exhibition, inviting audiences to experience the art of Sudan, not only by featuring works of Sudanese artists, but also by incorporating poetry and archival material. With a publication of the same name, this exhibition invites you to reflect on how history plays a role in shaping identity and culture across generations.
Review by Rim Alkaiat
Featured Image: Sudanese women in thobes by Faiz AbuBakr
https://www.almasartfoundation.org/ Almas Art Foundation, Arch 28, Old Union Yard Arches, 229 Union Street, London SE1 0LR
Monday to Saturday, 11am – 6pm. Closed on Sundays
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