Abdul Abdullah
Abdul Abdullah | |
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Born | 1986 (age 37–38) Blake Prize for Human Justice 5-time finalist in both Sulman Prizes |
Abdul Abdullah (born 1986) is a
Early life and education
Born in
Abdullah is a 7th-generation Australian on his father's side, whose ancestors arrived on the
He graduated from Curtin University in 2008.[5]
Career
In April 2015, the
In September 2015, Abdullah gave a talk about his practice at
In 2016 his portrait of former
In a 2017 solo exhibition at the
In February–March 2018, Abdullah's work was included in an exhibition co-curated by his brother Abdul-Rahman with Nur Shkembi, called Waqt al-tagheer: Time of change at ACE Open, Adelaide as part of the Adelaide Festival. The exhibition showcased the work of 11 Muslim Australian artists, including that of Abdul-Rahman and photographic artist Hoda Afshar. His works Journey to the West and Wedding (comprising two works, "Delegated Risk Management" and "Mutual Assurances") again explore the theme of identity, contrasting self-identity with the identity imposed by others.[9]
His works for the touring exhibition Violent Salt (2019–2020), which featured many overtly political works by mostly
His installation at the 2020
From 28 May until 24 July 2022, the exhibition Land Abounds, featuring the work of both Abdullah brothers and video work by
Art practice and themes
Abdullah works in
Seeing himself as an "outsider amongst outsiders",
He also engages with other creatives throughout the
On the occasion of the 2022 exhibition Land Abounds, featuring work of both Abdullah brothers and video works by Moffatt, Abdul's brother Abdul-Rahman said:We overlap in so many different ways, and our work is like an ongoing conversation we're having about the worlds we're experiencing. Tracey Moffatt is an iconic figure to both of us. She holds a mirror up to a social landscape that we all understand, exposing the dynamics of power that we consume and enact. The ways in which our works engage and respond to each other creates a multi-layered dialogue that always seems to come back to ideas of perception and power. What dictates our perceptions of the world, how are we perceived and how do we participate in that equation with autonomy.
Abdullah creates deliberately provocative works in order to "create an environment that encourages critical thinking". In "Self-Portrait as an Ultra-nationalist" (2013), his T-shirt reads "Fuck off we’re full" and features an
He has encountered negative reactions to his work sometimes, but has also received positive responses for the same work, such as from
Awards and recognition
In 2011 Abdullah won the
Abdullah was a finalist in the 2016 Brett Whiteley Travelling Art Scholarship.[15]
As of 2020[update] his work had been shortlisted five times for the Archibald:[19] in 2011 for a portrait of academic and media personality Waleed Aly; in 2013 for his portrait of boxer Anthony Mundine; in 2014, of Aboriginal artist and activist Richard Bell; in 2016 for Craig Campbell (see above);[4] and in 2020, for his "Untitled self-portrait".[20][21]
He has been finalist for the
In 2019 he won the inaugural
His work A Terrible Burden was shortlisted for the 2020 Wynne Prize.[20]
In 2021, Abdullah was awarded a
A portrait of Abdullah by Jasper Knight was a finalist for the 2022 Archibald Prize.[23]
In 2023, his work Legacy assets was selected as a finalist for the
Collections
Abdullah's works are represented in many significant galleries, including:[1]
- Artbank, a national art rental program
- Art Gallery of Western Australia, Perth
- Bendigo Art Gallery, Bendigo, Victoria
- Gallery of Modern Art, Brisbane
- Islamic Museum of Australia, Melbourne
- Murdoch University, Melbourne
- Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA), Sydney
- National Gallery of Australia, Canberra
- QAGOMA, Brisbane – Coming to terms (2015)[16]
- University of Western Australia, Perth
Selected exhibitions
His work has been included in many exhibitions, including:[1]
- Primavera exhibitionat the MCA, Sydney (2015)
- WA Focus, at the Art Gallery of Western Australia (2015)[6]
- Perth Institute of Contemporary Arts (2015)[6]
- Asia Pacific Triennialat the Gallery of Modern Art in Brisbane (2015)
- Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne (2016)
- Abdul Abdullah: Terms of Engagement (2017), a solo exhibition at the UNSW Galleries[8]
- Pataka Art + Museum, New Zealand (2017)
- Art Basel Hong Kong(2017, 2019)
- Asia Now Art Fair, Paris (2017)
- Chiangmai, Thailand (2019)
- National Gallery of Australia, as part of Infinite Conversations (2019)
- Violent Salt, a touring exhibition (2019–2020)[4]
- Adelaide Biennial (2020)[10]
- The Armory Show, New York (2020), a solo exhibition, presented by Yavuz Gallery[20]
- Gropius Bau, Berlin (2020)
- Land Abounds, Bowral, New South Wales(2022)
References
- ^ Artspace Sydney. 13 June 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ Abdullah, Abdul-Rahman (17 April 2020). "Contemporary artist Abdul-Rahman Abdullah". Asian Curator. Interviewed by Singh, Anjali. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ Flynn, Eugenia (3 August 2018). "Artists". The National. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Valentish, Jenny (15 January 2020). "Portrait of the artist in the firing line: Abdul Abdullah on controversy, threats and rightwing hate mail". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Abdul Abdullah Biography". Ocula. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ a b c Diciero, Lyn (23 April 2015). "Brothers turn experience into art". The West Australian. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ TedX. Retrieved 16 September 2021 – via YouTube.
- ^ a b "Abdul Abdullah: Terms of Engagement". School of Art & Design. University of New South Wales. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ Nicholls, Christine Judith (2 March 2018). "Waqt al-tagheer: Time of change explores the diversity of Muslim Australian identities". The Conversation. Retrieved 30 September 2021.
- ^ a b "Abdul Abdullah". Art Gallery of South Australia. 18 February 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "About Us". Ngununggula. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ Fitzgerald, Michael (2 June 2022). "'Land Abounds': Considering the breadth and blind spots of art history". Art Monthly Australasia. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ "Land Abounds". Ngununggula. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ Francis, Kirsty (4 June 2022). "'Land Abounds' presented by Ngununggula". A Rich Life. Retrieved 5 June 2022.
- ^ Art Gallery of NSW. 17 August 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ Queensland Art Gallery & Gallery of Modern Art. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ Bevis, Stephen (15 September 2011). "Blake Prize winners revealed". The West Australian. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "Them and us". Abdul Abdullah. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ a b c "Abdul Abdullah". Yavuz Gallery. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
- ^ a b c Wolifson, Chloé (12 January 2020). "From Abdul Abdullah to Vincent Namatjira: 10 artists forging a new political future". The Guardian. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- ^ "Archibald Prize finalists 2020". Art Gallery of NSW. Retrieved 16 September 2021.
- Australia Council for the Arts. 18 October 2021. Retrieved 10 May 2022.
- ^ "Archibald Prize Archibald 2022 work: Abdul Abdullah by Jasper Knight". Art Gallery of New South Wales. Retrieved 6 May 2022.
- ^ "Abdul Abdullah". Art Gallery of South Australia. Retrieved 11 August 2023.
External links
- Official website
- "Abdullah brothers, Leeroy New and the return of a William Barak painting" (Audio). ) Features both brothers in conversation with Daniel Browning, first 30 minutes.