tour 13 of 13
Sudan Past and Present: From the Islamic Period to the Modern World
Mohamed Omer Bushara, Untitled work
This work is one of a group by the artist which
are reproduced in the book
Atong (Grandir Editions,
2003). This is a Dinka folktale re-told by the Dinka writer and
academic Francis Mading Deng. The story concerns a beautiful Dinka
girl, Atong, who marries a lion called Juach against the advice of
her brothers. Yet Bushara's work does not illustrate the
story, at least not in the accepted sense of the term
'illustration'. Instead the work complements and
enhances the story in a far more subtle way: 'It's
very difficult to say, "this work means this",' observes
Bushara when asked to explain the subject of his work, 'the
only way to see it is to look. Anything in the work is significant,
a part of the whole, as in music. For the audience it may be good
to read both visually and
intellectually.'
Mohamed
Bushara was born in Omdurman in Sudan in 1946. He started to draw
and paint at an early age with whatever materials he could find,
with the staunch support of his family. Unlike many of his fellow
artists he studied geography at the University of Khartoum rather
than fine art at the College of Fine and Applied Art in Khartoum.
He continued to work to support himself during his spare time until
finally winning a British Council scholarship in the mid 1970s to
attend the Slade School in London. Since then he has travelled,
lived and worked widely outside Sudan and is currently resident in
the UK.
Bushara has always
been more concerned with the actual process of creation rather than
striving towards a finished article. His work reflects a passionate
involvement with the turmoil which has afflicted his native
country, Sudan, whether witnessed at first hand or from
overseas.