Reem Al-Jeally
About The Artist
Born in November 1997 in Khartoum, Sudan and graduated from the University of Khartoum, Faculty of Architecture in late 2018, Reem Aljeally is an Architect, Designer, Visual Artist and an aspiring curator and cultural manager with a great passion for channeling her talents towards addressing social issues and challenging social change. Reem enrolled in an academic painting class in 2019 at the heart of Khartoum where she met and was trained by artist and mentor Hatim Kuku.
Aljeally’s work is also mostly a self-expression as she uses figures and characters to portray her own emotions and life situations. With painting as her preferred approach, she believes that art has given her the freedom and proper space to face and express what she experiences in life and what she sees around.
Question
How did you get started with creating art?
Art has been a part of my life ever since I can remember. From my first exhibition at school in the 4th grade, to my after school class, to my very first canvas painting in primary school.
My family was very supportive and they allowed me to explore my passion. Although I studied architecture in college, I have always had a strong tie to artistic creations and that led me to take an art class in 2019 that shifted my perspective and approaches to my art style.
Question
How would you describe your artistic style? Has it changed?
I am yet to find an answer to this question as I think it keeps shifting, but I can say I am in a comfortable position with my style.
I am able to experiment with, develop and play around with this character I have. I would say it is somewhere near figurative expressionism. That kind of work has always drawn me to it, and so I found myself creating it.
Question
Where do you usually find inspiration for your works?
I find inspiration in the daily life around me, especially in the life of women in my life or I see as I move by. A large sum of my work is as well personal reflections and projections. I tend to use my canvas as my expressive medium. Texts, photographs and images are also a great source of inspiration to my narratives as I compose my work in my mind from a collective of elements stored to eventually create the story I paint.
Question
What do you hope your audience will get from your work?
I always say I want my work to make people feel something, regardless of what that feeling is or what the work provokes in them. I just wish it would relate to the viewer in some way and make them think of a memory or a nostalgic feeling.