Sulaiman Ali – Sept/Oct ’12
The works in this online exhibition speak of Sulaiman Ali’s inspiration-landscape and flora. He depicts the seasonal transformation of the plants so that colors and textures have become splendid renderings of the grandiose yet subtle power of nature. He pays homage to the mythical mountains of Kurdistan, in all of her different aspects-propitious and wet in Spring, hot and vibrant in Summer, glowing yet somber in Autumn, and cold and cruel in Winter.
STATE OF SENSORY
At first glance Sulaiman’s works appear to have been created randomly and mercurially. The paint appears to have been applied spontaneously and with wild excesses. But upon looking closely, the viewer begins to notice the drips, dabs and dashes of color in various hues-with an intricacy that leaves the viewer with a sense of the artist’s enthralled state to the sensory-reflections of an indulgence of sensual release and abandon.
PURE PASSION
The distinctive practice of Sulaiman merges painting and symbolic gesture in the pursuit of a direct, intuitive form of expression falling somewhere between the gestural painting of Abstract Expressionism and ‘abject expressionism’. His visual language of scrawls, drips, and renditions is tensely balanced between abstract and pictorial impulses. In this modern era there are a lot of artists who employ abstract forms that are lacking in power or soul. But that’s simply not the case with Sulaimen when it comes to style, he leaves pure passion on a canvas and that’s why viewers become engulfed in his work.
RYTHYMS OF NATURE
Color has an undeniable, archetypal strength in the Iraqi Kurdish psyche. It is inextricably bound to their identity, the sense of who they are, both as individuals and as a nation-the desert, the mountains and the vast coastline as demonstrated by the Sulaiman.
In the Spring series of paintings, Sulaiman uses blues ranging from vibrant turquoise to a dirty earth green, to subtle yet strong magentas and lilacs. The colors are placed to symbolize the “blooming” of life after a harsh winter. The blacks that run throughout the Winter series are still present but instead of being in the mix, it’s being covered up and takes a new place in the background of the painting. The colors in the Summer series of works is laid in a sloppy and thick manner emphasizing an explosion of flora and the rapid growth of life on the mountain. Vibrant reds, oranges, and yellows crowd the canvas thoroughly covering the black that represents an absence of life. Giving the works a chaotic and ferocious feel, the color brings to life the sheer magnificent force of nature on the mountain and its ability to flourish despite its location.
The Autumn series peers deeper into the shadowy spaces that haunt the dying leaves and the light frost condemning them. The colors reflect a dismal amount of life, dwindling in the balance. They are muted relatives to the vibrancy shown in the Summer series, accurately depicting the passing of seasons.
Within the Winter series the color has all but vanished completely, the pieces are composed of dull greys, blues, and earthy greens. But Sulaiman has a way to make black glow in the dark, with snatches of white, rusts and blues shining through it. Overall the cycle of colors throughout the works demonstrate how life is tied to the rhythms of nature.
A HIGHLY PERSONAL LANDSCAPE
At first glance these works forced three things into mind; bodily, earthly and sensory. Color, strokes, and techniques come together to perfectly reflect Sulaiman’s unique view of flora and land- foreground and background are combined unfolding interpretations of the jagged landscape, a layering which gives the viewer an experience of place. Not only does the skill reflect the artist’s talent but these works feel extremely personal, relating to memories – a highly personal landscape.
Inadvertently Sulaiman’s work underscore the incredible imaginative freedom of the seemingly countless variants for his painting’s soul. It is a reflection of deep passion and the strength of spirit and soul that really keeps a viewer enthralled, leaving them in the same state that the artist was in when he created them. And that’s what makes these paintings so powerful and beautiful – the artist sought to show everyone how he depicts his home in all of its glory and he executed this perfectly. – JOE KENNETH SCHWARZ
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Sulaiman Ali was born in 1963 in Duhok City, Iraq. He graduated with a Law degree from the University of Mosul in 1987 but instead he pursued art and has been participating in exhibitions in Duhok since the early 80s and takes part in cultural exhibitions in Berlin representing his hometown. He is also and art writer for Mateen review, a monthly publication in the north of Iraq.