Ibrahim El-Salahi Sudan/United Kingdom

Ibrahim El-Salahi (Sudan, 1930), a seminal figure in African and Arabic modernism and 2001 Prince Claus Laureate, combines African and Arabic traditions in new forms. A founding member of the influential Khartoum School movement in the 1960’s, El Salahi continued his studies in the UK and the USA and later served as Director of Culture for the Sudanese government. Following a period of incarceration when he was falsely accused of participating in a coup attempt, he went into exile in the UK. His works were featured in Tate Modern’s first retrospective on African Modernism in 2013. He has said that the black and white works in this exhibition are among his favourites.