Untitled
- Artist: Ibrahim El-Salahi
- Date: 1967
- Medium: Oil paint and enamel paint on hardboard
- Dimensions: support: 448 × 762 mm
- Museum: Tate Modern
- Collection record: Tate Modern website
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About this artwork
This is the “Untitled” by Ibrahim El‑Salahi. Painted in 1967 with oil and enamel on hardboard, it blends Arabic calligraphy with African and Arab motifs. From broken lines you see animal‑like shapes, faces, skeletons that morph into mask‑like, totemic figures. The artist was responding to Sudan’s recent independence from colonial rule, drawing inspiration from his surroundings. He called this visual language the Khartoum School, a distinctive modernist style. He once said, “I wrote letters and words that did not mean a thing. Then… I had to break down the bone of the letter.” That idea shows in how the text dissolves into organic forms, making the language itself a living sculpture. The piece invites you to look beyond the surface and feel the dialogue between script, symbol, and landscape.
See it in person
Untitled is in the collection of Tate Modern on Bankside, London — free to enter. Point your phone at any artwork there and audioguide.london plays a free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
