| I cite various art historical and cultural sources in my work. My provocative, large-scale portraits theatrically confront the intersection of contemporary critical theory and global politics by drawing on a personal interest in design, fashion, art history, cultural analysis, philosophy, and psychology. The faces of my transnational, racially and sexually ambiguous characters are densely painted. I achieve this by building up layers of splashes and washes on the canvas surface alongside bold patterns and forms that determine the mood and overall tone of the works. My work draws on my personal experience as a global citizen. My characters are located in world cities where cultures morph and merge so quickly that even home is no longer a stable or recognizable place. |  |
Mustafa Maluka
I cite various art historical and cultural sources in my work. My provocative, large-scale portraits theatrically confront the intersection of contemporary critical theory and global politics by drawing on a personal interest in design, fashion, art history, cultural analysis, philosophy, and psychology. The faces of my transnational, racially and sexually ambiguous characters are densely painted. I achieve this by building up layers of splashes and washes on the canvas surface alongside bold patterns and forms that determine the mood and overall tone of the works.
My work draws on my personal experience as a global citizen. My characters are located in world cities where cultures morph and merge so quickly that even home is no longer a stable or recognizable place. I liken my solo shows to putting on a play. My show presents the viewer with emotional landscapes filled with a cast of characters who, like myself, inhabit and balance the realities of being among countries and cultures. My images confront the viewer with the question of how a continuous selfhood persists across a context of rupture.
