Faisal Abdu Allah: Selected Works

Overview

The work "Innocence Protects You" previously created for the collection of African artifacts housed in the Horniman Museum, provides little comfort. Created in the chilling style, reminiscent of the" Silence of the Lambs" a muzzled man stares out, wrapped in the British flag whilst in the background blurred figures run across a hill in morning fog. The wide-screen image utilizes the surrounding black bars to highlight the lineage of colonial collectors of African art, rather than the usually printed line-up of actors. The billboard-sized print initially lures the spectator towards it only to repel with the message. A further number of studies use similar reference. 'Uncle Sam' is referring to the anger of the suppressed within Western culture and their inability to integrate in harmony. "Give us this day" is a more peaceful call to order, speaking of the continuation of values handed down through the family unit, which can preserve strength and unity in a more positive way.

Abdu'Allah's work is treading the line between critique and embrace of popular culture. In artistic terms the mixing of classical references and techniques with the language of the media is well executed and familiar. The cultural references are general, yet the message of suspicion and distrust has its cue in another lineage of popular culture, that of black music. Because of the double-references to two opposing sides of popular culture, his work is speaking of the use of paranoid thinking within that rather than being accusatory. In his art the messages of white mainstream culture are mixed with those of black mainstream culture, a method commonly used in music and film and less so in art. Underlying this interplay between two cultures is the artist's own complex identity as British citizen of Jamaican origin, whose religion is Islam by choice. This complexity allows for a greater critical distance to the legacy of white British culture with a largely Christian background. Faisal Abdu'Aliah applies this to art where it breaks new ground and imbues the classical iconography of Western culture with new life.