Archive for January, 2009

Urban spiritual artist Mohammed Ali wins Arts Council South Bank Show Award

21 January 2009

Birmingham-based street artist, Mohammed Ali has won the Arts Council’s diversity award at the ITV South Bank Show Awards.

Mohammed Ali’s art has been described as ‘building bridges between communities’ especially in areas where faith and race relations have suffered in recent years. He is known for merging graffiti style with Islamic art. He has painted street-murals across the globe from Melbourne to New York and is known internationally for his unique fusion style.

Tony Panayiotou, Director of Diversity at Arts Council England and one of the judges for the award, said:

“The Arts Council is committed to placing diversity at the heart of the arts in England. Mohammed Ali is an exceptional visual artist and a pioneer of socially-conscious art with messages of peace, unity, brotherhood, hope and healing. By fusing street art with the calligraphy of Islamic script, Mohammed’s work appeals especially to the young, the future of our country.

“His work explores issues around faith and secularism and concepts of the East and West, in a style that he calls ‘urban spiritual art’. Mohammed Ali is an artist with an increasingly international reputation and he thoroughly deserves this prize and recognition.”

On collecting his award, Mohammed Ali said:

“It’s an honour to accept this award and I dedicate it to those people whose voices are not often heard in the mainstream. The art that I do is for everyone, it is universal. I truly believe that art enhances people’s lives and brings communities together and I hope that my work continues to inspire people from all walks of life.”

Now in its thirteenth year, the South Bank awards aims to reward British talent and achievement across the arts in fields such as classical music, comedy, literature, film, dance and visual arts.

The Arts Council’s diversity award celebrates outstanding achievement by a diverse artist or organisation that promotes diverse groups and cultures in any category of the arts.

The awards ceremony will be broadcast on ITV on 28 January.

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For more information on the art of Mohammed Ali visit: www.aerosolarabic.com

Notes to Editors:

Arts Council England works to get great art to everyone by championing, developing and investing in artistic experiences that enrich people’s lives.

As the national development agency for the arts, we support a range of artistic activities from theatre to music, literature to dance, photography to digital art, and carnival to crafts.

Great art inspires us, brings us together and teaches us about ourselves, and the world around us. In short, it makes life better.

Between 2008 and 2011, we will invest £1.3 billion of public money from government and a further £0.3 billion from the National Lottery to create these experiences for as many people as possible across the country.

http://www.artscouncil.org.uk

For more information please contact :
Julie Yau
Arts Council England, National
Assistant Media Relations Officer
t:020 7973 6557
e: julie.yau@artscouncil.org.uk

See the video of the AerosolArabic Free Gaza Graffiti mural:

See Pictures of the mural and the process: