Kamala Ibrahim Ishag:People in Crystal Cubes (1984)

Overview

Depicting scenes of women’s lives in the earthy tones of the sun, sand and sky, the work of painter Kamala Ibrahim Ishag has historically challenged the traditional male perspective of art in Sudan.

Her early interest in the work of the English painter and writer William Blake, in particular his exploration of spirituality and incarnation through the sublime power of poetry, resonated with her own contemplation of Sudanese women’s spirit possession practices known as Zar. These influences are reflected in her work including People in Crystal Cubes (1984), depicting the distorted faces and figures of the women, mostly rendered in dark monochromatic colours; sometimes coming alive, but always muted.