Efiɛ Gallery invites everyone to experience Solace in Soil, a duo exhibition by famous artist Dr Mohamed Yousif, one of the first sculptors in the UAE, and Kenyan artist Maggie Otieno. It delves into the deep-rooted connections between the two artists’ practices and highlights the cross-cultural exchange between the Middle East and Africa. Curated by Emirati art history researcher and curator Shamma Al Mheiri, the show will be open to the public until the 6th of October, 2024.
Dr Mohamed Yousif’s work reflects his deep engagement with the natural world, exploring themes of motion and stillness. His intricate wooden sculptures, both figurative and non-figurative in structure, are meticulously crafted; many of them are woven out of palm tree fronds gathered in the Emirati desert.
Meanwhile, Maggie Otieno’s practice revolves around abstract long figures made from distressed railway sleepers engaged in silent conversations amongst themselves and their surroundings. The wood Otieno uses is more than 150 years old. It travelled from India to Kenya to construct the iron snake railway line in 1896, carrying the stories of travellers, labourers, and communities. Through her skillful manipulation of form and texture, Otieno infuses her art pieces with a sense of time’s passage, allowing them to resonate deeply with viewers.
Speaking about the Solace in Soil exhibition, Shamma Al Mheiri said: “[It] is an exploration of materiality and a sculptor’s connection with the earth. […] Maggie Otieno and Dr Mohamed Yousif share leitmotifs of expressing generational sentiments and experiences through tangible expressions.”
About the artists
Dr Mohamed Yousif (b. 1953, Sharjah), who resides in Sharjah, is one of the founders of the Emirates Fine Art Society and the Sharjah National Theatre. He obtained his BFA (1978) from the College of Fine Arts (Cairo) and an MFA from Webster University (St. Louis, USA). He also earned a PhD in Fine Arts from Manav Rachna International University (Faridabad, India). Currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Sharjah’s College of Fine Arts and Design, Yousif is not only a sculptor but also a playwright, director, and designer in theatre productions.
The artist has displayed his works in multiple exhibitions, including the Venice Biennial (2015, 2017); Language of the Desert (the Kunstmuseum, Bonn, Germany, 2005); the Bangladesh Biennial (2004), where he received the First Golden Prize; and The 5th New Delhi Biennial (India, 1982), to name a few. In 2009, Yousif won the UAE Honour Award. His art pieces are part of the Tate Collection (London, UK) and the Sharjah Art Museum.
Maggie Otieno (b. 1974) is a Kenyan artist residing in Nairobi. She began her career as a painter before transitioning to sculpture in 1996 at the Kuna Trust Art Center (Kenya). Working in both two-dimensional and three-dimensional forms, Otieno employs various materials, starting with stone and wood and later incorporating found objects such as wood and metal. Her abstract sculptures made from railway sleepers offer social commentary and capture diverse human experiences, evoking emotion and creating interactions and movement in abstraction.
Otieno’s works have been on view in several group shows at Efiɛ Gallery, such as Art Dubai 2024 (where she was represented by the gallery); Ever-Present (2023), The Sown Seed (2022), and Debut Exhibition (2021). Last year, Otieno also participated in the 2023 Sharjah Architecture Triennial, being featured in the Anthropocene Museum 9.0: The Old Sharjah Slaughterhouse Tour.
To get more information about Solace in Soil, please go to the exhibition’s official web page.
In addition, you might be interested in visiting the Laal Collection Volume II exhibition, which is on display at Total Arts.
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