“Mosaic” decorates the streets of Khartoum… and the first doctorate in this art

Sudanese artists use local materials such as food grains, seashells, pebbles and white sand to spread the art of mosaic, which is gaining wide popularity among Sudanese society.

The past few years have witnessed remarkable interest on the part of the Sudanese in mosaic art, which has begun to make its way strongly in local exhibitions, with specialists seeking to take advantage of this momentum in documenting Sudanese civilization.

Despite its modernity in Sudan, mosaic is considered one of the oldest painting arts in the world. It is defined as the art and craft of making small cubes and using them in the decoration and decoration of floor and wall spaces by installing them with tiles on smooth surfaces, and forming various designs of different colors.

According to Abu Bakr al-Sharif, who devoted his career to the development of mosaic arts, his academic and practical interest in this art came from his conviction of the great impact that this art can have on the cultural and social life in the country.
Al-Sharif said in an interview with “Sky News Arabia”, that this conviction was clearly embodied during the recent period through his supervision of the first research for a doctorate degree in mosaic arts in Sudan, pointing out that one of his students obtained a doctorate of philosophy in arts for the thesis “Aesthetics of photography.” Contemporary mural and its impact on society in Sudan,” based on two mosaic artworks, the “Nubian Culture Mural” on an area of ​​16 square meters, and the “Birds mural,” which is a pure work of ceramic mosaic on an area of ​​45 square meters.

Al-Sharif has been working since 2010 on teaching art students and amateurs this art form, especially the treatment, the method of fixing on the walls, the materials and the technique used for fixing on the walls, the space of the wall work and the surrounding community, in addition to the permanence of the work and its resistance to environmental and climate factors, and finally the acceptance of the community members for this type of art.

Al-Sharif and others interested in mosaic art seek to overcome the great difficulties facing the spread of this art, most notably the high cost and unavailability of materials, which led to the suspension of studies for several periods during the past years.

Thanks to the use of local materials, mosaic art touches began to appear in murals that adorn many road facades, hotels, and public buildings in the capital, Khartoum, as well as the homes of the wealthy.

With the increase in mosaic art workers in Sudan, they aspire to spread artworks related to this art at the level of the main streets and squares in the other cities of the country to document the country’s symbols and events, which calls for a broad community partnership that enhances the presence of this art in the Sudanese scene.