Internationally known artist, Mohammed Omar Khalil, will display 15 differing artworks this month at the Albareh Art Gallery. Six of the works follow in the path paved by his previous exhibition “Paolo Uccello, The Battle of San Romano”.

The pieces were created by Mohammed to represent the victory of the Florentine army over the Sienese in 1432 and are an interpretation of works completed originally by a Florentine merchant in 1456.

In addition, he will showcase a series of six artworks on his favourite country, Morocco; two of them on the city of Fes and four works on Marrakesh.

Mohammed is recognisable for drawing inspirations from different and rather eccentric sources; films, books, music, and places he visits. At this exhibition visitors will get a look at his latest artwork, inspired by the film Birdman of Alcatraz. The film is a story of a murderer who was sent to Alcatraz prison and became fascinated by canaries, treating them, breeding them and observing their behaviour.

Born just a few kilometres from Khartoum, Mohammed studied here and later taught at the School of Fine and Applied Arts. He pursued further studies in fresco painting and printmaking in Florence. Later, Mohammed moved to New York where he still lives, works and teaches.

Having attained worldwide recognition, the artist’s works now grace many collections including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Bibliotheque Nationale, Paris; Jordanian National Museum, Amman; Brooklyn Museum, New York; and the Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad.

The exhibition will run Saturday to Thursday from 10am to 1pm and 4pm to 8pm.

A start for art
As part of their latest initiative, the Albareh Art Gallery has launched an e-newsletter titled ABCAD (Albareh Centre for Art, Design and Visual Culture).

The concept is the brainchild of founders Hayfa Al Jishi, Hazem Taha Hussein and Jamal Al Yousif and manifests the ideas of ‘Remix, Redesign and Reassemble’. The newsletter will be distributed on a monthly basis, highlighting the gallery’s upcoming events and artists’ news.

“ABCAD will focus on amalgamating the old with the new, the local with the international and channelling the creativity within to produce non-banal artworks that are creative and that fit within the global philosophy of today,” explains Bisan Saleh.

The project will also offer creative programs for businesses to help them achieve their corporate social responsibility targets by designing tailor-made creative art programmes that will engage the community and encourage businesses to put arts on their agendas.

Call 17 717-707