Hani Alqam is the kind of artist that can inspire you by just being around him. Hani grew up on the other side of the tracks in a refugee camp, and his artwork finds its inspiration from a profound admiration and respect for the people he grew up with. One of his greatest joys is wandering around downtown Amman and having bizarre conversations with people. He is a self-taught artist who is continually experimenting with form and technique. His style has influenced many in both the older and newer generations of Ammani painters.
As I don't like to be associated with complete crap journalism, I've included a tear-sheet from a magazine I used to work for that has disintegrated into total rubbish in the past year, after their fantastic editor Eddie Taylor left. I took the picture of Hani used in the article, but the writer/editor was too lazy to bother calling Hani to interview him for the story. There is even a made-up quote in the article. When I showed the piece to Hani he translated it for me and was almost as pissed about it as I was. Do yourself a favor and stick with magazines in Jordan with some journalistic integrity (look hard!). Post-script: The middle picture was an idea I had that nobody seemed to like where I Photoshopped Hani to look like one of his paintings. Check out Hani's website by clicking here, and collectors, do yourself a favor and buy one of his paintings.
No comments:
Post a Comment