Finding Roots. Irma Stern’s Zanzibar Paintings (1939 – 1945)

Two men share a cup of coffee together in close intimacy. Ochre turbans regaled with purple ribbons are wrapped around their heads suggesting faraway lands and stories yet untold brewing under the blanket of shared physical space. There’s a cheekiness to the moment, captured in the wink of the man to the left. There’s a…

Papa Ibra Tall – First Song (1963)

While I’m always keen to mention the nationality of each artist I present, there is one continent which hasn’t been featured at all since I started the blog: Africa. In a mixture of ignorance by the art historians and a failure of self-promotion, there is either scant information on the artists or not enough publicly…

Ibrahim El-Salahi – Reborn Sounds of Childhood Dreams I (1961-1965)

Ibrahim El-Salahi (born 1930) is a Sudanese painter, writer, critic, former politician and diplomat.  His works mix African and Western elements with Arabic calligraphy, the latter which he learned throughout his childhood at the Qur’anic school his father ran. El-Salahi often paints scenes from his childhood or meditation visions that are interwoven with Arabic calligraphy,…