Ali Omar is also a deeply reflective writer whose articles have appeared in numerous publications in both English and Arabic. More recently, he has drafted a number of conference papers and delivered speeches in the UK, Europe and the Middle East on subjects such as identity, human rights, education, art and the media. The issues Ali Omar discusses in his written works are also the driving force behind many of his paintings, as he believes that the role of artists and thinkers is to communicate topical cultural and social issues to audiences through various mediums of which art is but one.
In 1970, Ali Omar graduated from the Plymouth School of Art and Design, after which he went on to study at the Central School of Art in London for a short period of time. Upon his return to Libya, he took up photography and headed the visual arts section of All Arts magazine. In 1974, he returned to Britain after being appointed as a consultant to the director of the World Islam Festival, held in London in 1976. During this time, he travelled extensively, meeting various artists, writers, calligraphers, museum officials and dignitaries throughout the Islamic world. In 1975, he went back to Libya, writing for further publications as well as continuing his travels and exhibiting his artwork. In 1981, he settled in London where he lives and works today.
Ali Omar’s paintings can be classified into three main compositional groupings - works which focus on a single letterform, those which comprise a series of words or phrases, and others which employ the aesthetic volume of Arabic letterforms as visual rhythms and patterns in both contrasting and harmonious interactions, often set against backgrounds that utilise a combination of multi-coloured dimensions. In the first group of works, Ali Omar cleverly balances the overall composition of the painting by placing short excerpts from literary or poetic texts - which concern social and cultural issues - in a smaller script next to or around the large central letter.
His works are usually executed on some of the finest made paper and can measure up to five metres long. He paints with single or multiple colours and for his works which focus on the single letterform, he begins by painting the central letter with a large brush, then builds up the composition, complimenting the formal appearance of the letter and highlighting its symbolic significance with additional text. Ali Omar selects letters which draw references to art, literature, and historical periods or the penmanship of regions such as the North African Maghribi script or the Thuluth Diwani scripts of Ottoman Turkey. He also derives inspiration from Andalusia, North Africa, Middle Eastern and other areas of Islamic culture.
Unlike many of his contemporaries, Ali Omar’s letters are legible, yet his art is very different from calligraphy. While traditional calligraphers work according to specific dictated demands and standards, Ali Omar paints his letters with free-flowing brushstrokes and an innovative flair that sets his art apart from traditional calligraphy as well as the work of his artistic peers. Regarding viewers of his art, Ali Omar acknowledges that audiences who can read Arabic have an advantage when it comes to understanding the literal content of his work; however, he ultimately aims for his paintings to communicate with viewers from all cultural backgrounds:
As an Arab and Muslim, I feel (and rightly so) that I’m a world citizen; after all, this is the Islamic approach to society and mankind. Since I started my first steps in my art, I meant it to be enjoyed and understood by all people, to break the barriers of communication of people and languages… Arabic is an ideal visual form, and the musical entity in its movement of the letterform, ‘as in poetry,’ not only in its literary expression but also in its silent music[al] expressions, the use of space, colour and the power of shifting places in their quiet and noisy effects.
Arab and world literature, pre-Islamic and early-Islamic texts - most notably eminent poetic statements, wisdom and critical concepts, as well as epic and love poems – and celebrated contemporary poetry feature in his paintings. Ali Omar has noted that there are four dimensions to his art - visual, historical, literary and artistic - and the concept of silah (connection) plays a prominent role in his approach to painting.
Although the Arabic language connotes a certain sacred significance, since the Qur’an was revealed in Arabic and calligraphy was developed and perfected for Islamic manuscripts, Ali Omar expresses his devotion to religion by avoiding the use of Qur’anic verses in his work. Believing that the inclusion of sacred texts in contemporary art can lead to the commoditisation of religion, an exception in his oeuvre is a work he created especially for the Beit Al Qu’ran Museum, in Bahrain, which can be viewed alongside collections of the finest historical Qur’ans.
Al Khaa Al Ashhab (1988) is a powerful example of Ali Omar’s inimitable interpretation of the Arabic letter. Using the letter khaa as the focal point of the work, he evokes a sense of swiftness and speed in its delineation. The monochrome palette is a deliberate play on the name Ash-hab, which means ‘greyness.’ Elegantly rendered lines from a poem by the tenth century prince and warrior, Abi Faris Al Hamadani, echo the curves of the letterform. The poem, which describes Al Hamadani’s willingness and ability to counteract pain and disappointment, to remain positive during hardship, and on the noble way to treat others, adds another dimension to the meaning of the work, while the formal presence of this text adds a delicacy to the overpowering presence of the central motif.
References: Ali Omar Ermes: In Context, Art Advisory Associates, London, 2003.
Ali Omar Ermes, Meem Gallery, Dubai, 2008.
Wijdan Ali, Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity, Florida: UPF, 1997.