Holtermann Fine Art presents Glowing Phalanges, a solo exhibition by Ahmed Umar.
Ahmed Umar is a Sudanese cross-disciplinary artist based in Oslo, Norway. Glowing Phalanges forms part of his ongoing project 'Forbidden Prayers', a body of work he has been developing since 2018. The exhibition presents a series of sculptural works in glass and mixed media; each held in acrylic casts of the artist’s right hand.
Glowing Phalanges emerges from Umar’s experience of growing up between two Islamic traditions: Sufism in Sudan, where his family originates and Wahhabism in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where he was raised. While both are branches of Islam, their approaches to devotional practice differ significantly. Sufi traditions embrace the use of prayer beads and amulets, whereas Wahhabism forbids such objects, instead favouring the counting of prayers on the phalanges of the right hand. According to this teaching, the phalanges will glow on Judgement Day as a sign of devotion, giving rise to the exhibition’s title.
In this body of work, the hand becomes both a symbolic and physical structure through which these differing approaches to prayer are explored. The varied positions of the hands echo gestures performed during prayer, reinforcing their role as a site of devotion and meaning. Umar works with materials often associated with tokenistic representations of African culture which he deconstructs through a process he describes as 'reauthentication.' This way, he recontextualises the materials, creating sculptural amulets with new cultural meaning, while positioning the hand as both a tool of devotion and a symbol of political, religious and creative agency.
