Abu Jafar

The exploration of man's inner life
Maria Pai Cappello

Abu Jafar is an important English painter who has the ability to suggest and create remarkable and evanescent moments of sudden insight connected with philosophical awakening because in his paintings there is the exploration of man's inner self, trapped inside the dehumanizing and alienating modern world. Moreover, he can rediscover his own inner life through a return to instinct, feeling and above all imagination. His goal is to fuse dreams and reality into a higher "surreal" dimension.

Looking at his paintings we remember Oscar Wilde's aphorism " All Art is the result of an experience gone through all the way to the end, where no one can go further". He can be linked to Surrealism because he uses visual imagery from the subconscious mind to create art without logical comprehensibility. Each painting could be said to describe a different part of the world that the solitary man inhabits, each painting a fragment of the implied narrative of his isolated existence. In fact he juxtaposes the primary colours achieving emotions through shapes and symbols. Most of his works are dark in the background against which he puts the vibrant colours suggesting that a magic real...

He studied fine arts, painting and drawing at the Institute of Fine Arts, University of Dhaka, Bangladesh 1984/89, Master Drawing of the human figure at the Guildhall University, London 1989/90, Art and Art History at the Goldsmiths College, University of London 1991/92 and Philosophy of Arts at the Open University, 1997 UK

One person Exhibitions

2024 Open Studio

2015 Rich Mix Gallery
London UK

2014 Shanghai, China.

2013 “Ekush Bochor Sheshe”
Retrospective solo Exhibition at The Bangladesh National Gallery, ( Shilpo Kala Academy ) Dhaka, Bangladesh

2012 Ekush Bochor- IAC, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Hope@Letchworth
Fenners Building, Letchworth UK

2011 Hope @2021 Visual Arts Center
Scunthorpe, UK

Celebration @ Wakefield
Wakefield Cathedral, UK

2010 Abu Jafar – HOPE@Beam
Beam Sculpture Park, Wakefield, UK

Abu Jafar – HOPE@ Monnow Valley
Monnow Valley Arts Centre, UK

2009 GSK Harlow, UK

2008 The Art House, Wakefield, UK

2002 White Letter 2002, Installation at Trafalgar Sq, London UK

2001 McDowell Modern Art
London, UK.

2000 Abu Jafar Open
London, UK

1996 Snow flower-
Installation with snow & glass
Brockhall Village, Lancashire, UK.

1994 So much to tell about,
Spita...