Artist Abdullah Mohammed Al-Tayeb: I Left My Paintings in Khartoum as a Trust with the Devil
Interviewed by Al-Asmai Bashari
I said to the visual artist Abdullah Mohammed Al-Tayeb (Absafa), without any introductions: I would like to have a conversation with you. A direct conversation about art and war, unprepared in advance.
He immediately replied, saying, But the topic is difficult, tangled, and very complex. This war has no connection to anything humane. Its against life in all its forms and....
I interrupted him, of course, saying I know that, and I also know the situation of displacement that an ordinary person is living, let alone an artist. And how much time it takes to adapt to a new reality, a new place, new relationships, and new conditions. Perhaps its not the right time for conversation or dialogue?
He responded with a confirming tone, indeed, its an extremely absurd reality, and the absurdity seems endless. What will happen when the war stops? Will Khartoum be a habitable city with its destroyed infrastructure? Did it even have a functional infrastructure to begin with?
I interrupted his flow of questions, as if he wants to interview me: as an artist and later I will talk to you as a writer as well. When you left to El Gedaref as a displaced person, what did you leave behind? What loss did you suffer?
He answered with sadness, after a moment of contemplation: I left a lot behind. I left paintings made with various materials; I created them since the 1990s and before that. I left them distributed between Al-Sahafa, Al-Kalakla, and Khartoum 2 due to the difficulty of carrying them and my poor estimation. I couldnt have imagined that the war would expand like this without end. I left them all entrusted to the devil.
And Absafa added with a sigh: It saddens me that I cant even recall the recent works that I couldnt photograph.
Absafa talked about Khartoum before the war and how it lacked visual features. The artists worked hard to change that, but I initiated my own question: now it has become unsuitable even for habitation as you mentioned. What new artistic space can be created by an artist in such complex circumstances, without shelter or tools? How do you think about that, in your displacement?
He replied, saying its a real dilemma. This state of homelessness, where theres no shelter or tools, is like a bag without meaning, a plastic bag to carry things, irrelevant to him, and its only rewarded with the wind tossing it when its empty (you pick it up and put it down) as agreed. Just before this catastrophic war, I exhausted myself trying to arrange a studio to gather my scattered works, but before I could settle, the wind carried me to Medani and then to El Gedaref, and I dont know whats in store for me. Who knows the mood of the wind?
He continues in his talk: as you can see. In the current conditions, its difficult to make a specific decision. There are some initiatives to support Sudanese artists in their current plight, Ive been in touch with some of them, and Im still waiting. Sometimes I paint with simple and inexpensive materials that I managed to obtain in my current residence.
I also asked him as a writer about a rich experience: Your book Drawing on the Margin was published by Sebouih Publishing House. Its as if you were attempting to write an autobiography that intersects with other narratives. Are you satisfied with this experience, and do you have another attempt to write something?
He denies, saying Drawing on the Margin was not an attempt to write an autobiography. I truly lack the energy for such a tremendous effort, as drawing consumes my time and a lot of my energy, while what remains is wasted by the challenges of life and our relaxed social customs, which are inescapable. Perhaps you find in it fragments of the autobiographical that were mentioned in the book, and they came as a testimony to some events within the context of the intersection and clash between the personal and the public.
In general, it could be said that its an attempt to shed light on the darkness in which the visual artist works in Sudan. And I believe it was successful, to some extent, in focusing the light on some issues, although it was tainted by some haste and rush in other aspects. Thats why I wanted some of my contemporaries to write what I mentioned, their testimonies from various perspectives necessary for understanding. The truth has multiple facets, of course, depending on different points of view.
He also talked about the conditions and state of writing, saying that sometimes he writes articles about certain issues, like those related to art and culture in general, but I publish some and ignore others.
Visual artist Abdullah Mohammed Al-Tayeb (Absefa) continues in his talk. He says that those articles that provoke me, to the extent that ignoring them is impossible. I remember an incident of this sort that woke me up forcibly from sleep, and the electricity was out, as usual. In the darkness of the room, I struggled to find a paper and a pen, and I started writing without being able to see what Im writing. But it doesnt matter, as I poured myself out and went back to sleep.
In the morning, as I expected, I found some words jumbled up in the same line, and it wasnt difficult to untangle them. Publishing the article also faced difficulties due to the herd mentality and the stagnation that has poisoned our cultural, social, and political reality. Thats another story, but I finally managed to publish it.
He adds that what characterizes all these writings is brevity, unlike what happened in Drawing on the Margin, which tempted me to write something similar but more intimate. I started it, but its still in its place. Writing is different from drawing, and this reminds me of Henry Miller, the novelist and also a painter, who says something like: (In his house, the angels paint, while the devil writes).
The conversation with visual artist Abdullah Mohammed Al-Tayeb (Absafa) doesnt end. Each answer he delivers in his charming, ironic, and sometimes sharp manner energizes a new question. This is the characteristic of the visual artist and thinker.
Abdullah Mohammed Al-Tayeb, Absafa as friends call him, is a visual artist and designer. He graduated from the College of Fine and Applied Arts in Khartoum in 1975. He has worked in various fields including design, drawing, and coloring, some of which were featured in Sudanese newspapers, magazines, and childrens publications. He also worked in the field of education as an art teacher both inside and outside Sudan.
He received the Silver Medal in the Noma Illustration Competition for Childrens Books, Tokyo 1978. He has held several solo exhibitions and participated in numerous group exhibitions both inside and outside Sudan.
Absefas work is prolific, diverse, and constantly evolving, whether in the realm of coloring with oil and acrylic colors or in the realm of black and white drawing for print publications. Among his recent notable works in black and white is a collection of drawings published by the French publisher Gründ under the title The Thing, a childrens book released in France that garnered admiration from the French audience and critics. He also authored the book Drawing on the Margin and serves as the head of the Cultural Work Group in Sudan.
