Though he works mainly in black and white, Abdul Badi Abdul-Musawwir’s background couldn’t be more colourful. Born and raised in Ohio to a half Indian-American, half African-American father and a mother of Dutch ancestry (‘I’m strawberry, chocolate and vanilla’), Abdul-Mussawir discovered his creative edge at a young age, winning a scholarship from the Cleveland Museum of Art aged just seven. Then, after embracing Islam post-high school, he hung up his paintbrush to focus on his faith. ‘The American arts scene? In the ’60s?’ He tells us with a knowing grin. ‘The ideology couldn’t be balanced with Islam, so I chose to be a Muslim.’
After serving as a counsellor at drug rehabilitation clinics and, eventually, as an imam at a maximum security prison, it was a visit to the UAE in the late ’90s that revitalised Abdul-Musawwir’s creative drive. His passion rediscovered, he founded the United Muslim Artists Alliance and began to explore abstract expressionism, using Islam as his subject matter. ‘After 25 years, I guess you could say I’m making a comeback,’ he says proudly as he walks us around Salwa Zeidan gallery, ahead of the grand opening of his first solo exhibition in the UAE.
Here are five pieces you should look out for when you check out the show for yourself.
Allah wa Rasool, mixed media on paper
‘If you know a little bit about Arabic, you can see that this says the name “Allah” in a unique way. The letter on the left is not visible, because the haa [the Arabic character] has been written as a dot instead of a loop. So I’m taking the negative and turning it into the positive. The name of this piece means Allah and his messenger, so the dot is also symbolic of the moon. They used to call the Prophet Mohammed [PBUH] ‘the one with the face like the full moon’. So it’s saying Allah and Mohammed [PBUH] in one word, symbolically.’
Tawaaf, acrylic paint on canvas
‘In Mecca the kaaba is the house we focus on when we pray. It was the first house built to worship one God. And when you visit the kaaba, you have to circumvent it, to go around it. So this is an impression of that spiritual experience, going around the kaaba. The name of the piece, Tawaaf, is the term used for that circumvention.’
Allah is the protecting friend of those who believe, he guides them out of darkness into the light, acrylic on canvas
‘The writing along the bottom is a verse of Qur’an, which translates as “Allah is the protecting friend of those who believe, he guides them out of darkness into the light.” So this is like tunnel vision. If you look closely at the centre of the big black space there’s a tiny dot of white, which is the light at the end of the tunnel. The unique thing about this painting is that, after I painted it, I looked at it and I noticed that the name of Allah is spelt down the right hand side. And that was all done automatically, I discovered it afterwards.’
Untitled, pen on paper
‘This piece was created really quickly, sort of like automatic drawing. I like to work quickly. This image is based on a mosque in Egypt. My daughter got a scholarship to Al Azhar University in Cairo, so I had some time and created some work while I was there. Wherever I go, if there’s some gap I’ll pull out the paper and get going. I’d like to do something similar with Abu Dhabi’s Grand Mosque one day, an abstract expression. I like the shape of the domes. That would be a good challenge for me.’
In the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of night and day signs for those who are wise, acrylic paint on canvas
‘This piece also contains a verse from Qur’an, which says, “In the creation of the heavens of the Earth and the alternation of the night and day are signs for those who are wise.” So, you know, heaven and earth, black and white, sun and moon, celestial equilibrium. There’s a kind of cosmic message. I was trying to capture a rhythm too, there’s a visual rhythm here. There’s a rotation, a spiritual rhythm and rhyme.’
Abdul Badi Abdul-Musawwir’s solo exhibition runs until May 15 at Salwa Zeidan gallery, Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street, Khalidiyah. Entrance is free (02 666 9656)
