Mohamed Abdella Otaybi (Sudanese, born 1948)
Against Violence, 2017
Signed ‘017 signature’ (lower left)
Acrylic on canvas
78.5 x 80.5 cm
Ksh 160,000-220,000
(US$ 1,450-2,000)
Sold Ksh 176,100
Provenance: direct from the artist
Mohamed Abdella Otaybi graduated from the Khartoum College of Fine and Applied Arts and began working as an artist during the dynamic period of the 1970s where his work was immersed in the debates about cultural heritage and Sudanese visual identity of the Khartoum School at that time. His painterly language has developed over the years but the use of architectural and decorative motifs, and calligraphic forms, can still be seen in his recent painting Against Violence, which uses symbolism to recall the value of peace between communities and faith groups.
Otaybi has long been recognised as an influential figure in Sudanese art: as well as holding regular solo exhibitions in Khartoum, from 1970 to the present, he has shown in international group exhibitions including the Sharjah Biennal, UAE, 1993; Modernism in Sudanese Art, British Museum, London, 2004; Sudan: Emergence of Singularities, P21 Gallery, London, 2017; and Khartoum Contemporary, Circle Art Gallery, Nairobi, 2017. His work features in private and public collections including the National Museum in Sharjah, UAE.