Ibrahim El-Salahi’s work is so unique that it has been called “a new Sudanese visual vocabulary.”
https://www.ft.com/content/df8bcc7a-da14-11e9-9c26-419d783e10e8
In Omdurman, Sudan, El-Salahi was born to Muslim parents and practiced Arabic calligraphy because of his father, who ran a Qur'anic school. This later became an important part of his work. After going to art college, El-Salahi decided to travel around the world and study art in Europe, the U.S., and South America. He was exposed to new types of art such as modernist painting, and each country influenced his work.
After receiving his education, El-Salahi returned to Sudan and tried elements of Islamic culture, Arabic calligraphy being his focus. He’d been influenced by foreign countries, but now, he was ready to accept his own heritage and culture.
As he became better with calligraphy, El-Salahi naturally began to incorporate animals, humans, and plants into his work. He combined traditional Sudanese elements with European elements, creating surrealistic pieces.
https://salon94.com/artists/ibrahim-el-salahi/
For 20 years, El-Salahi worked with just simple lines and forms, but his style began to change and go through many phases. He started adding earthier tones and a limited color palette, which represent the Sudanese landscape. He then moved onto abstract, geometric, and black and white art. But all of his work managed to incorporate African motifs or Islamic culture.
In 1975, the artist was imprisoned for participating in the anti-government rebellion where the Sudanese Communist Party attempted to overthrow the government. Even though his freedom was taken, El-Salahi did not stop drawing. He would use his exercise time to draw, bury his drawings into the sand, and scavenge for old paper bags to sketch on.
Prison notebook (1976).
https://www.moma.org/collection/works/218219
El-Salahi was eventually released, but he had left all his drawings buried. He moved to Oxford, UK later, but not even prison could take away his love for drawing. Even until his 90s, he continued to make art, and an exhibition called Pain Relief Drawings opened in 2022.