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This fall, The Africa Institute collaborates with Serpentine and Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) to present a major exhibition of pioneering Sudanese artist Kamala Ibrahim Ishag. The exhibition will take place in Serpentine South in London from October 7, 2022 to January 29, 2023.
Ishag has forged a unique and expansive practice that is not defined by a singular style or movement. Her work embraces and expresses different earthly and spiritual landscapes and histories of Sudanese visual culture across many eras. Both a master modernist and innovative contemporary painter, Ishag continues to influence artists internationally and has been a prominent teacher and mentor to generations of practitioners, especially in her role as a professor of painting for over 30 years in Sudan. She was amongst the first women artists to graduate from the College of Fine and Applied Art in Khartoum in 1963. Later, she became the leading figure of the conceptual Crystalist Group in Sudan during the 1970s and 1980s.
“We are thrilled to partner with Sharjah Art Foundation and The Africa Institute to bring the work of this pioneering artist to London. Kamala’s thinking of not “imprisoning” the artist within one idea is central to the work we are doing at Serpentine. We believe artists are key to many disciplines and areas of society, never restricted within boundaries. Kamala’s seven decades of art making leads the way with this idea,” said Bettina Korek, Serpentine CEO, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Serpentine Artistic Director.
Serpentine galleries have been championing new ideas in contemporary art since 1970 and have presented pioneering exhibitions for half a century from a wide range of emerging practitioners to the most internationally recognized artists of our time.
The exhibition celebrates the breadth and importance of Ishag’s work and offers London audiences insights into her world, featuring works spanning from the 1960s to today, including her time in London studying at the Royal College of Art (RCA) from 1964-66, in addition to new paintings created in her Khartoum studio that have previously never been presented.
Ishag shared, “It is very special for me to have this exhibition at Serpentine as I studied close to Hyde Park at the Royal College of Art in the 1960s and I have spent time living in London. I have completed new paintings for this exhibition which will be shown alongside works from across my career. These are all connected by images of humans and plants – the vital elements that constitute all life. It is wonderful to be working with Serpentine, Sharjah Art Foundation, and The Africa Institute on this project.”
Undoubtedly, the Kamala Ibrahim Ishag exhibition is another milestone toward The Africa Institute’s endeavor to expand the public understanding of African and African diaspora studies as a global enterprise.
Salah M. Hassan, Director, The Africa Institute shared that he is delighted to work with Serpentine and Sharjah Art Foundation to bring Kamala Ishag’s ground-breaking practice to London. “Kamala challenged tradition and forged a new style, paving the way for many women and men, and younger generations which she has mentored over the years, including the Crystalists group. Through this exhibition, we look forward to expanding the understanding of African and African diaspora modernist and contemporary art practices, by showcasing her influence on Sudanese art and her reputation as one of the most important painters in African and global modern art,” said Professor Hassan.
Kamala Ibrahim Ishag is organized by Sharjah Art Foundation and Serpentine, in collaboration with The Africa Institute, Sharjah. It is co-curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, Director, Sharjah Art Foundation; Salah M. Hassan, Director, The Africa Institute, Sharjah, and Professor at Cornell University; and Melissa Blanchflower, Curator Exhibitions and Public Art, Serpentine, with Sarah Hamed, Assistant Curator, Serpentine.
The artist’s first monograph will be published, on the occasion, of the exhibition by Sharjah Art Foundation, The Africa Institute, Serpentine, and Koenig, and will be available in early 2023.
Visit Serpentine Galleries to learn more about the artist and the exhibition.
This fall, The Africa Institute collaborates with Serpentine and Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) to present a major exhibition of pioneering Sudanese artist Kamala Ibrahim Ishag. The exhibition will take place in Serpentine South in London from October 7, 2022 to January 29, 2023.
This fall, The Africa Institute collaborates with Serpentine and Sharjah Art Foundation (SAF) to present a major exhibition of pioneering Sudanese artist Kamala Ibrahim Ishag. The exhibition will take place in Serpentine South in London from October 7, 2022 to January 29, 2023.
Ishag has forged a unique and expansive practice that is not defined by a singular style or movement. Her work embraces and expresses different earthly and spiritual landscapes and histories of Sudanese visual culture across many eras. Both a master modernist and innovative contemporary painter, Ishag continues to influence artists internationally and has been a prominent teacher and mentor to generations of practitioners, especially in her role as a professor of painting for over 30 years in Sudan. She was amongst the first women artists to graduate from the College of Fine and Applied Art in Khartoum in 1963. Later, she became the leading figure of the conceptual Crystalist Group in Sudan during the 1970s and 1980s.
“We are thrilled to partner with Sharjah Art Foundation and The Africa Institute to bring the work of this pioneering artist to London. Kamala’s thinking of not “imprisoning” the artist within one idea is central to the work we are doing at Serpentine. We believe artists are key to many disciplines and areas of society, never restricted within boundaries. Kamala’s seven decades of art making leads the way with this idea,” said Bettina Korek, Serpentine CEO, and Hans Ulrich Obrist, Serpentine Artistic Director.
Serpentine galleries have been championing new ideas in contemporary art since 1970 and have presented pioneering exhibitions for half a century from a wide range of emerging practitioners to the most internationally recognized artists of our time.
The exhibition celebrates the breadth and importance of Ishag’s work and offers London audiences insights into her world, featuring works spanning from the 1960s to today, including her time in London studying at the Royal College of Art (RCA) from 1964-66, in addition to new paintings created in her Khartoum studio that have previously never been presented.
Ishag shared, “It is very special for me to have this exhibition at Serpentine as I studied close to Hyde Park at the Royal College of Art in the 1960s and I have spent time living in London. I have completed new paintings for this exhibition which will be shown alongside works from across my career. These are all connected by images of humans and plants – the vital elements that constitute all life. It is wonderful to be working with Serpentine, Sharjah Art Foundation, and The Africa Institute on this project.”
Undoubtedly, the Kamala Ibrahim Ishag exhibition is another milestone toward The Africa Institute’s endeavor to expand the public understanding of African and African diaspora studies as a global enterprise.
Salah M. Hassan, Director, The Africa Institute shared that he is delighted to work with Serpentine and Sharjah Art Foundation to bring Kamala Ishag’s ground-breaking practice to London. “Kamala challenged tradition and forged a new style, paving the way for many women and men, and younger generations which she has mentored over the years, including the Crystalists group. Through this exhibition, we look forward to expanding the understanding of African and African diaspora modernist and contemporary art practices, by showcasing her influence on Sudanese art and her reputation as one of the most important painters in African and global modern art,” said Professor Hassan.
Kamala Ibrahim Ishag is organized by Sharjah Art Foundation and Serpentine, in collaboration with The Africa Institute, Sharjah. It is co-curated by Hoor Al Qasimi, Director, Sharjah Art Foundation; Salah M. Hassan, Director, The Africa Institute, Sharjah, and Professor at Cornell University; and Melissa Blanchflower, Curator Exhibitions and Public Art, Serpentine, with Sarah Hamed, Assistant Curator, Serpentine.
The artist’s first monograph will be published, on the occasion, of the exhibition by Sharjah Art Foundation, The Africa Institute, Serpentine, and Koenig, and will be available in early 2023.
Visit Serpentine Galleries to learn more about the artist and the exhibition.
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