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Thursday, June 1, 2006
Far from Baghdad Alsoudani captures chaos and confusion
Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||
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Ahmed Alsoudani may very well be a star in the making. But don't try to convince the young Iraqi artist of that. Alsoudani, who lives in Portland, graduated last year as a painting major from Maine College of Art. This summer, he attends the Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture a significant honor reserved for the most promising artists in the country and this fall he enrolls as an art-school graduate at Yale. Rather than celebrate his success as a sign of his greatness, Alsoudani prefers viewing his life as a series of fortunate occurrences. A native of Baghdad, Alsoudani fled the country after the first Gulf War, going first to Syria and later coming to Washington, D.C., for political asylum. He spoke no English and knew only a handful of people. He had no solid plan, except to build a life in America. One of his acquaintances from Iraq happened to live in Maine, so Alsoudani came to Maine. As he learned the language and customs on his new surroundings, Alsoudani also began flexing his artistic muscle. A painter, he makes abstract images that conjure his thoughts and feelings about the war. Two of his recent drawings related to that subject are on display through July 1 at Filament Gallery, 181 Congress St., Portland. Influenced by the work of Arshile Gorky, Alsoudani creates wild, disjointed images that suggest chaos and confusion. On June 9, he becomes a U.S. citizen during a ceremony in Bangor. Alsoudani talked about his life and work last week at Filament. Q.: I know a lot of artists do not like talking about their own work. But your paintings beg the question: Where do they come from? A.: Most of my work deals with the war. The war for me is a life-and-death issue. I've been dealing with it since before I've been here, and it's hard to step away from it. I'm not interested in showing blood and war. I'm working really hard to capture the moment between when the aircraft are attacking and the moment after the attack, that line between life and death. Q.: What was the hardest part about coming to America? A.: When I came here, I didn't speak English. And I mean, not at all. "Do" and "does" I was really excited when I figured out where each one goes and when to use one instead of the other. It was very hard. But I moved here (to Portland) because there was an Iraqi family here. A friend of mine lived here, and they helped me out. I started taking classes at USM and then applied to MECA. Q.: It sounds like you found your calling at MECA. A.: I'm so lucky. I'm so fortunate. MECA, I feel it's like my home. From the beginning, it's been a very special place. To be here, to be in the United States, is something that's incredible. It's a golden opportunity. Q.: Do you consider Maine to be your home? A.: I do. I call it my home. It's my home right now, and Portland is my hometown. The people here, people I don't know say "Good morning," or they smile at you. Q.: What inspired you to apply to Skowhegan? A.: It's a very prestigious school, and they have good faculty and amazing visiting artists. So why not? It will be incredible to spend two months doing nothing but painting. Q.: Are you in touch with your family in Iraq? A.: Yes, I talk to them. They live in Baghdad. I talk to my mom once a month. She's OK. She left the house, though. They evacuated her. Her house is close to the Green Zone, and it's very dangerous. Staff Writer Bob Keyes can be contacted at 791-6457 or at: bkeyes@pressherald.com |
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