LIMELIGHT: IBRAHIM EL-SALAHI – HARAZA
‘I keep working on one particular theme inspired by a
tree, an acacia locally called the Haraza that grows on the banks of the Nile.
During the rainy season the tree is leafless, it blossoms with freshly budding
green leaves when the weather turns dry, and the river flows at its lowest
towards the sea. Through all, the tree remains steadfast, silently watching
over the passage of seasons and time.’ – Ibrahim El-Salahi
This one-room display of works by Ibrahim El-Salahi (the first public gallery
exhibition in the UK since his major show at Tate Modern in 2013) reflects
his fascination with the Haraza tree, native to Sudan, which has peculiar and
inspirational characteristics.
El-Salahi himself is also native to Sudan. He is one of the pioneers of the
Sudanese and African art movements. In 1954, he left Sudan on a Government
Scholarship to study at the Slade School of Fine Art in London where he was
inspired by Western Modernism.
Returning to Sudan to teach, Salahi was held as a political prisoner in the mid
1970’s, after which he left Sudan. He now lives in Oxford. Throughout his
career, Salahi has held influential positions as a cultural figure, advising
governments and the Arab world on cultural policies.
The series inspired by the Haraza tree is an ongoing investigation of the tree
/ body metaphor, a link between heaven and earth, creator and created.
Speaking about when the tree blooms, El-Salahi says, ‘This is a
definitive statement. Like saying ‘I am me! I am an individual! I do not follow
what everyone is doing! When everyone is going to be green, let them be green.
I am not! It’s individuality. I love that very much.’
Limelight is a series of one-room displays, showing a range of
exciting contemporary art.
In partnership with Vigo Gallery
Image: Ibrahim El-Salahi, The Tree, 2001 © Vigo Gallery and the
artist. Courtesy Vigo Gallery and the artist.