The Artwork of Adam Alli
Published: June 8, 2009
:: Launch Gallery of Adam’s Artwork ::
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Adam Alli: Road to Exile
by Craig Bunting
Over the last forty years, post-Colonial West, East and Central Africa have been volatile experiments in democracy, with devastating results for the people of these regions. Civil wars in Liberia, Nigeria, Sudan and the Republic of Congo collectively have sent millions of refugees fleeing into neighboring countries. Many times these civil wars spill over into the adjoining countries, too, creating even larger regional conflicts that devastate economies and lead to the purging of natural resources like lumber, diamonds and oil. These fluid wars that seem to be either endless or forever on the brink of eruption have resulted in large societies of refugee camps that have now existed for decades.
The exhibition, “Adam Alli: Road to Exile,” traces one man’s creative journey through Africa. Photographs of a refugee camp in Ghana are evidence of the real world where the refugees’ lives revolve around a shared limbo, in search of safety, shelter and enough food to survive. Whether they can ever return to a normal life and experience happiness again must be a continuous concern, too.
The constructed painting and handicrafts of Mr. Alli can be described in many ways. Images of the Blue Diamond in the West African country of Liberia or of Victoria Falls in East Africa can be described as large postcards, marketable images that are familiar and safe. Naïve and idealistic, these images of peaceful landscapes devoid of humans or animals are free from outside influence and danger. Mr. Alli’s imagery may be simple with a symmetrical grouping of simple huts, vegetation, small mountains and serenely flowing rivers: however, they also demonstrate a clear understanding of atmosphere. Simple isolated scenes are powerfully rendered with a clear grasp of light and the colors indigenous to Africa.
Mr. Alli’s images are not limited to African scenes. During his years in America, he has painted the American eagle frequently, the symbol of our country used symbolically in his work. These painted medallions can be seen as kitsch, or flea-market patriotism, but they are really complex constructions. Mr. Alli uses sticks, rope and string wrapped in paper to create woven frames. Sand, pencil shavings and sawdust are mixed with glue to form a compound which is then applied to the paintings, creating earthy, tactile landscapes. Paraffin is applied for a reflective finish. When conventional paints are unavailable, shoe polish is substituted, muted and hot colors juxtaposed.
Adam Alli was born in 1955 in Uganda, in the region of Lugayi Kawolo. He has been a soldier in Ethiopia and a carpenter in Ghana, Liberia and Sudan. He has been tortured and jailed as a political prisoner in Sudan. He has lived over half of his lifetime as a refugee. He currently lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Yvonne. He has neither home country nor valid documentation due to the upheaval in his homeland. He is currently seeking political asylum in the United States.
Copyright © 2009 Running Film
