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© 2004 Ibrahim El Salahi
Sudan Past and Present: From the Islamic Period to the Modern World
Contemporary art and design
Sudan has produced a strong community of contemporary artists, their work ranging from ceramics to calligraphy and fine art. Many are associated with the College of Fine and Applied Art in Khartoum, which has existed in one form or another for most of the twentieth century and continues to flourish. It has only been known under its current name since 1952. Throughout the 1950s the brightest students went overseas to the best art schools in London, though nearly all returned to teach at the college. The artistic style known as the 'Khartoum School' came into being under the leadership of Ibrahim El Salahi. It began to be recognized during the 1960s as an emerging modernist movement with both pan-African and international influence.
Artists from the College have settled all over the world, some by choice, others as exiles, although many remain resident in Sudan. The College and its artists' lasting legacy is its distinctive means of expression, known as 'Sudanawiyya' - the synthesis of Western styles of art and art education with other traditions. This reflects the remarkable ethnic, religious and cultural diversity of Sudan.
Illustration: Jubba by Ibrahim El Salahi, who was born in Omdurman, Sudan, in 1930. His career-long involvement in cultural diplomacy has included group and solo exhibitions of his work around the world.