Ahmed Umar (
Arabic: أحمد عمر, born 10 February 1988) is a Sudanese-Norwegian visual artist and
LGBT activist. He[A] grew up in a conservative family in Sudan and later fled to Norway. His artwork mixes Sudanese (e.g., the
Black Pharaohs of the ancient
Kingdom of Kush) and Western influences. He was profiled in the 2020 documentary The Art of Sin.
Life and career
Early life
Ahmed Umar was born in Sudan on 10 February 1988,[3][4] to Siddig and Zeinab Umar and as the youngest of five siblings.[1][5] His was a traditional
Sufi family that lived between
Mecca and Sudan.[2][6]
Umar was educated in
Mecca and first began to "fall in love with other boys" whilst living there.[1] He later went on to study in Sudan and entered into a "
halal relationship" with a woman, though his feelings for men continued.[1]
While in Norway, he became an artist known for mixing Sudanese and Western influences [9][10] in the medium of live performances, work with ceramics,[11] jewellery,[12] and prints.[9] His work has since been exhibited at various national and international institutes.[13]
Art and LGBT activism
In 2015, Umar came out as gay on
Facebook. This caused many of the Sudanese community to turn against him, including members of his family.[2][14] He later said of this experience:
I believed that I was cursed and that
Allah would punish me with eternal unhappiness,
HIV and die like
Freddie Mercury, and that I will bring shame to my family. I wanted so badly to die. I was so lonely.[2]
His coming out was profiled in the 2020 film The Art of Sin. In 2022, he contributed a chapter entitled Pilgrimage of Love to an anthology entitled This Arab Is Queer.[1] In an interview with 500 Words Magazine, he discussed his belief that "there were entirely homosexual groups of men living in the
Kingdom of Kush",[5] challenging Sudan's deep-rooted homophobia.[15]
Islam in Umar's Work
Umar is an atheist[16] but Islam and
Arabic culture are major themes in his work.[2][17] Many of his sculptures were inspired by the Qur'an, such as Would any of you like to eat a dead brothers flesh?,' (
Arabic: أَيُحِبُّ أَحَدُكُمْ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ لَحْمَ أَخِيهِ مَيْتًا فَكَرِهْتُمُوهُ) which originates from
Quran Chapter 49:12, and What Lasts! (
Arabic: ماذا تبقا) which describes the story of
Lot.[18] Umar's 2016 '
Purification set' sculpture shows the tools used for
Wudu.[18]
Umar's jewellery work Hijab (
Arabic: حجاب) navigates the strong link between religion amulets and superstition[19] by stringing together a 365-bead amulet, one for every day of the year, to protect the wearer from harm and bring luck in the
Sufi tradition.[20]
Sudan in Umar's Work
Umar's work embraces Sudanese culture and themes. If you no longer have a family, make your own with clay (
Arabic: الماعنده أهل, يعمل أهل من طين),[21] is named for a Sudanese proverb and deals with Umar's family disowning him after his coming out.[22] In 2018, Umar became a
naturalised Norwegian citizen and attended the citizenship ceremony wearing an outfit that combined Sudanese and Norwegian cultures.[9][6]
"Carrying the face of ugliness"
Umar became widely known as the face of the Sudanese LGBT community, while animosity towards him also grew. In 2020, while filming The Art of Sin, he compiled a series of photographs of various members of the LGBT community in Sudan, then added his face on top of theirs. He titled this series Carrying the face of ugliness (
Arabic: شايل وش القباحة) after a Sudanese phrase which refers to someone who does something unfamiliar, confronts an issue and takes the blame for it.[23] These photos were later displayed as street art around Oslo.[24][25][26][27][28]
Sudanese Revolution
Support of the
Sudanese Revolution is a major theme in Umar's work.[29] In June 2019, Umar joined
NYC Pride March wearing a Sudanese-inspired outfit.[30] He also shared his hopes to "live freely in a democratic nation where everyone is valued equally".[31] In 2020, during the Agenda arts and crafts event organised by
Oslo National Academy of the Arts, Umar showcased his artworks relating to the relationship between art and democracy in the context of Sudan and its
30 years dictatorship.[32] In 2021, the In God's hand photo project depicted the revolutionary women of Sudan, The
Kandakas.[33][34]
Umar is convinced that there will be a
Pride parade in Sudan before he dies,[21] an occasion he considers as important as
Christmas or
Eid. He actively promotes The Nile Pride (
Arabic: عِزّة النيل), a festival planned to take place in Khartoum in 2030.[35]
Work and exhibitions
Selected work
Kunsten a være syndig (2017) - short documentary film.[36]
If you no longer have a family, make your own with clay (
Arabic: الماعنده أهل, يعمل أهل من طين), Last Frontier art space, NYC, US.[9] (2019)
^Elnæs, Caroline Ugelstad (2021-06-21).
"Reiser hjem til Sudan". blikk.no (in Norwegian Bokmål).
Archived from the original on 2022-10-24. Retrieved 2022-10-26.