By His Will, We Teach Birds How to Fly No.13
Ibrahim El-Salahi
Sudanese, born 1930
1969
In pen, ink, and wash on paper, Ibrahim El‑Salahi creates a dreamlike, emblem‑filled boat carrying ghostly figures, a bird and a winged prow figure to evoke spiritual and social remembrance.
Fine, calligraphic black lines and stippled textures float across a pale, wash‑stained sheet to form an elongated vessel crowded with mask‑like faces, patterned fabrics, stylized plants and a large winged figure, producing a delicate, haunted rhythm between ornament and narrative.
Part of El‑Salahi’s breakthrough synthesis of Islamic calligraphic tradition, African visual motifs and modernist drawing, this work helped open a new postcolonial visual language that linked formal invention with spiritual and political concerns.
Medium
Pen, ink, and wash on paper
Dimensions
15 × 21 7/8" (38.1 × 55.6 cm)
Classification
Department
Credit
Acquired through the generosity of the Contemporary Drawing and Print Associates
Accession
192.2018
Palette
Art Terms
Exhibitions
