Abdelmageed Afifi Profile

 (known as Afifi) was born in 1966 in Burri, Khartoum State.

He has had an interest in art since his school days, encouraged by his older sister who used to bring him art materials whenever she came back from her travels. At one point, Afifi was on the brink of studying medicine when the art teacher at his school, Omer El-Nijoomi, who was himself an artist, happened to see Afifi's portfolio. El-Nijoomi saw the potential in Afifi's work and suggested that Afifi consider going to art school. He persuaded Afifi to attend his studio on a Friday, where many artists congregated, and Afifi soon realized that he could not walk away from art. He joined the Extra-Mural College affiliated with the College of Fine and Applied Art, and a few years later graduated from there with a degree in painting.

During his studies, Afifi spent much time in the college library, researching different art techniques which he would then teach himself to apply. It was around this time that he also began formulating his theories on a common set of human values. He researched different mythologies from around the world, from Latin America to the ancient Sudanese kingdom of Meroe, concluding that there is a common set of values that is threaded through different human cultures. This thread can be ascertained through an exploration of the symbols and motifs (which he describes as "sign posts for the mind") found in the mythologies, folklore and visual heritage of our cultures, which share strong similarities around the world. This endless search for our shared human values is reflected in Afifi's art, and for example, in his exploration of symbols.

Generally though, Afifi's themes and topics vary. Another theme