Faisal Abdu'Allah
British artist and barber (born 1969)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Faisal Abdu'Allah (born 1969 in London) is a British artist and barber.[1] His work includes photography, screenprint and installations.
1969 (age 56–57)
Harrow School of Art
Central St Martins
Royal College of Art
Faisal Abdu'Allah | |
|---|---|
| Born | Paul Duffus 1969 (age 56–57) |
| Education | Willesden High School Harrow School of Art Central St Martins Royal College of Art |
| Occupations | Artist and barber |
| Known for | Painting, illustration |
Life and work
Abdu'Allah was born Paul Duffus in 1969 and grew up in a Pentecostal family. He was educated at Willesden High School, Harrow School of Art, Central St Martins and the Royal College of Art.[2]
In 1991, Abdu'Allah converted to Islam and changed his name. The event was described in the BBC television documentary series The Day That Changed My Life,[3] and formed the subject of the artist's 1992 work Thalatha Haqq (Three Truths).[4] He taught at the University of East London (UEL),[5] formerly North East London Polytechnic. He was a visiting professor at Stanford University[6] and is a member of the Association of Black Photographers.[7]
In the spring of 2013, Abdu'Allah was an artist-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arts Institute, and in the fall of 2014 he returned to Wisconsin, this time as an assistant professor in the Art Department of the School of Education.[8] He is now an associate professor of art and in 2017, received one of UW–Madison's Romnes Faculty Fellowships.[9]
In his work The Last Supper, eleven men and women sit in Islamic costume around a table, while a figure corresponding to Judas Iscariot stands, concealing a gun behind his back. Silent Witness featured portraits of young black men, with a soundtrack mixing rap, prayer and interviews.[10]
Group exhibitions
- 1993: Borderless Print. Rochdale Art Gallery, Rochdale. With Saleem Arif, Chris Ofili, Donald Rodney, and Maud Suiter.[11]
- 1994: Us an' Dem. The Storey Institute, Lancaster. With Denzil Forrester, and Tam Joseph.[11]
- 1995: Make Believe. Royal College of Art Galleries and other sites around London. In collaboration with Clive Allen.[11]
- 1995: Revelations. Bonington Galleries, Nottingham. With Clive Allen.[11]
- 1995: The Impossible Science of Being: Dialogues between Anthropology and Photography. The Photographers’ Gallery, London. With Zarina Bhimji, and Dave Lewis.[11]