Adil Elsanousi is a true nomad. What we have here is a travelling storyteller. It is the “Griot” who is held in high esteem because only he possesses ancient and important knowledge that he passes on through stories and symbols. His paintings show decorative elements of African Folk-art, mixed with symbols that stem from his original environment but also from Western art. These paintings are multi-layered, the way the old saga’s reveal a new and deeper layer beneath every layer you come across. Space in the paintings can never be viewed from one angle alone and is therefore never static; the spiritual space of the storyteller will not allow that. The shapes float freely through the fields of colour, sometimes sticking together to form clear patterns. All shapes are absorbed into a magical use of colour, which seems to be spontaneous, but could only be created by intense cultivation. Particular shapes and figures appear regularly in his work. They are the fixed elements with which the Storyteller varies and colours his stories. The story is never fully apparent but that is not possible either, because in Elsanousi’s view, the change in history that he speaks of is always in motion and surprises even him every time.
Griot: travelling singing storyteller who passes on information and stories of all sorts. |