Lot 10 Laila Mukhtar Adam (front)
Lot 10 Laila Mukhtar Adam (back)
Laila Mukhtar Adam (Sudanese, born 1969)
People of Kao, 2017
Unsigned
Clay and paint
30 x 12 x 8 cm each
Sold as a set of three
Ksh 170,000-280,000
(US$ 1,500-2,500)
Sold Ksh 223,060
Provenance: direct from the artist
These figurines, by ceramic artist Laila Mukhtar Adam, are inspired by the body ornamentation of traditional wrestlers from the Kao, Nyaro, Funjar and Werni communities who live in the eastern region of the Nuba Mountains. During the annual ceremonial contests, men and women decorate their bodies with clay; each community using forms and patterns in different ways and with particular symbolic significances.
As well as holding a BA, MA and PhD in Ceramics from the College of Fine and Applied Arts in Khartoum, Adam is currently an Associate Professor in the ceramic department at the same university. Her work has been shown in solo and group exhibitions in Bulgaria, Kenya, Qatar, Egypt, Germany and Sudan. Recent exhibitions include Contemporary Arab Art part 3, Al Markhiya Gallery, Doha, 2017 and Khartoum Contemporary, Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi, 2017.