Step into the world of Reem Aljeally, a resilient Sudanese artist and curator whose creativity shines even in the face of adversity. Through her art, she gracefully intertwines the rich tapestry of Sudanese history and traditions with the contemporary, offering a unique perspective that captures both the essence of her homeland and the spirit of her community. We had a short interview with her and this is what she had to share:
Can you tell us about your journey as a visual artist and how you developed your unique artistic style?
In 2019, I was a fresh graduate from architecture school still trying to figure out what my art style really is and what I feel represents my interests, so I enrolled in an art class that took me all the way back to the basics and it’s where I met my teacher Hatim Koko who has helped me tremendously in understanding what artistic expression really is. That class has allowed me to discover my love for figuration and fiction and I took it from there to develop my character and try to understand it more within the basics of drawing and painting.
What themes or concepts do you explore in your artwork, and how do you believe they resonate with Sudanese culture or identity?
Mainly using acrylic on canvas, my work explores the personality and life of a young woman in Sudan. I draw my inspiration from personal reflection, observations, and curiosity. In my painting, the characters reveal mixed emotions of familiarity, vulnerability, defeat, or acceptance of reality which is uncertain. By incorporating plants and cats in my compositions I reveal comfort, optimism, and compassion.
My artistic approach has been focused on paintings that depict the solace black femmes find in solitude, or with each other as they softly ask the audience to consider what femmes have to navigate in order to occupy space.
Looking towards the future, what are your goals and aspirations as a Sudanese visual artist and curator? How do you hope to contribute to the growth and recognition of Sudanese art worldwide?
If I had asked this question before the 15th of April 2023, I would’ve had a completely different answer to the one I have now. With the current situation in my country and having to leave home, my studio, and all my work and life behind me, the future seems a little blurry now.
Nonetheless, I believe I am a very hopeful and optimistic person. My aspirations include continuing my personal journey as an artist, expressing myself and thoughts through my work as well as reflecting my surroundings and community. I aim to continue my work as a curator and cultural manager to help uplift my peers and community in art. Through The Muse Multi Studios (an integrative regional artistic organization I founded in 2019), I hope to continue our work across Sudan through our research, exhibitions and projects. We are currently setting a base in Port Sudan in the eastern part of the country as the capital is no longer functioning due to the war, as well as cultivating a new community in Cairo where I am currently living.
Sudan has a rich cultural heritage. How do you incorporate elements of Sudanese history, traditions, or folklore into your artwork and exhibitions?
My personal work I believe deals with the contemporary view of a young woman living in Sudan. Taking in the history of our mothers while dealing with the everyday hassle of modern life. The way my works honour our culture and history is through small details, for example how the character’s hairstyle resembles the traditional “masayir” a hairstyle in Sudanese women’s history, yet in a modern take. My work also researches and explores women's communities in Sudan where I took on a photography research project with my local neighbourhood committee (a society for local women founded in each neighbourhood serving the society of that neighbourhood).
Art has the power to provoke emotions and spark conversations. Have you encountered any instances where your art has sparked meaningful discussions or brought attention to important social issues?
A few times during my exhibitions, I have encountered people who tell me that my art has touched them in personal ways. To me, this is very important as I always aim for my work to be expressional yet relatable to others. “Girl with Fat Belly” the main character in my work, is built organically to absorb what we feel and project as young women in society.
In a social manner, I see that living in an unstable environment like Sudan reflects on the public and the personal as they cannot be separated. Last August in my solo exhibition “Middle Voids” I built an installation that interacts with the oneness and togetherness of existence. Inspired by a painting collection titled “Party Red Chairs”, HUNTING FOR CHAIRS is an installation artwork that was constructed at the solo exhibition “Middle Voids” in August 2022 at The French Institute in Khartoum, Sudan.
The work offers a conceptual view of social and personal states through the symbolism of the red chair. Derived from the plastic red chairs often found in social gatherings in Sudan, they are to be used in bulks of colourful chairs, scattered around the area of the social event or even just around the everyday “tea ladies” around the city. The chair’s flimsiness of its plastic material is easily moving, being passed around, found sinking in the sand by the weight of its occupier. Whether we feel comfortable or not, those occasions and situations are not to be escaped and that was translated in the heavy wooden material used instead of the literal adaptation of the plastic.
The work addresses our views and reflects our feelings towards these situations while exposing a personal insight into what we call our “comfort zone”. It references the environment in which the “Girl with fat belly” in the painting lives. The discomfort in the items of the installation is revealed through the strange placing of each article where no item is positioned in its correct manner. The clusters of the scattered surroundings express unease and the feeling of being “sunk in”.
The art world is constantly evolving, and artists often need to adapt to new technologies and mediums. How do you stay up-to-date with emerging trends and incorporate them into your artistic expression?
As much as I am intrigued by new mediums, I do not like to feel the pressure of incorporating them into my work just for the sake of keeping up. What I try to do is genuinely develop an interest in these new mediums in order to create a work that is authentic. It is very crucial for the artist to keep exploring and experimenting but it is a territory to be looked into carefully. I try to follow and learn about what is happening and I believe that is how I grew to be interested in installations, Plus my background in architecture has been very helpful in that as I also keep track of what is new in design.
As an artist and curator, you have the opportunity to shape narratives and challenge stereotypes. How do you approach the representation of Sudanese art and artists to promote a more nuanced and diverse perspective in the global art community?
Promoting and sharing contemporary Sudanese art has been at the core of my work as a curator. In this mission, I have been trying to collaborate with as many local and international organizations and individuals as I can to be able to spread what our artists are expressing and what Sudanese art really looks like.
I have worked with curators in Kenya, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, and more in different projects that allow us to create means to share what we have and what ai believe is unique in our culture. I also think that art talks, lectures and seminars are a great way to display and introduce Sudanese art to people abroad and I always get the most amazing feedback from the audience.
How do you approach the curation of your exhibitions? What factors do you consider when selecting artwork for display?
I believe curation is a matter of expression itself and as much as I tend to choose work I personally like, I try to keep my personal preferences on the side a bit. I consider mostly context and quality of work as I think this is what makes a powerful work.
My background in architecture is also often involved in my curatorial work as I admire the design and good presentation and that’s another element complementing the artworks. I tend to like curatorial projects as well as I find them more intriguing and inspiring to myself as an artist as well.
Could you share an example of an exhibition you curated that had a significant impact, either in terms of raising awareness about Sudanese art or challenging societal perceptions?
Last March, as part of women’s week at The French Institute in Khartoum, I curated an exhibition that was research and archive-based. The Sudanese Woman in the Historical Memory (Presence and Absence) is a project to collect the archive of the Sudanese women’s movement in the period 1940-2010,*
A unique project to collect the archives of the Sudanese women’s movement subject to loss, which is a presentation of the preliminary survey of part of the archives that were reached and which were carried out by the researchers Safaa Muhammad Khair, Iman Muhammad Othman and Mahasin Youssef, benefiting from the program (Supporting Archives in Danger) University of California under supervision Scientific by Dr. Elena Vezdeni Institute of African Worlds (IMAF) - Paris and in cooperation with the Center for Economic, Legal and Social Studies and Documents (CEDEJ) in Khartoum. This exhibition presents part of the private archives, which are part of each target as the goal of this project.
Dealing with archives and documents instead of paintings and drawings was challenging yet important to me. It was a great experience and has definitely allowed me to learn so much and to help present this amazing project to the public in a visually appealing manner.
Can you describe a particularly memorable or transformative experience you've had while exhibiting your artwork in different parts of the world?
Unfortunately, when displaying abroad, I am usually unable to attend the exhibitions or events so I believe I miss out on the most important part of the experience which is seeing how people react to my work when they first look at it. nevertheless, I am very grateful I have had many opportunities and chances to display in different countries and galleries where I get an audience that can relate to my work although we are miles apart.
How do you balance your artistic vision and the expectations of the international art market or gallery spaces?
I think the simple answer to this is to stay authentic to my work. Although pretty blunt I believe this is going to lead me to where I will be in a good place in the international market. Dealing with galleries pushes you to create work of great quality in terms of materials and professionalism, it may be a time when I had to do alterations to size or be specific with formalities but within the work itself, I do my best to not let it be affected by factors determined by the policies of this market.
Are there any specific Sudanese artists who have inspired or influenced your work? If so, how have they impacted your artistic journey?
I have been admiring the work of Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq, Salah Elmur, and Hatim Koko.
My artistic journey has been also influenced by Elhassan Elmuontasir as we have worked together on different levels in painting and curation and I have definitely learned so much from his personal journey as well.
What advice would you give to aspiring Sudanese artists and curators who are looking to make an impact on the global art scene?
I think this is our time to show our work and as Sudanese artists we have already proven over time how our work is very special and unique to our culture and that shows in any setting the work is placed in.
If we are to continue the hard work and momentum we have now, our art and culture will easily find its way and place within global art. With all that is happening in our country, I would say the best thing we can do is to keep pushing and working as hard as ever to show the world what we are capable of.
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