Sinan Hussein

SINAN HUSSEIN

Sinan Hussein

Living as a Pilgrim, 2019, Mixed media on canvas, 45 x 60cm

This painting all takes place in the imagination. In this painting I show Abraham and Sarah thinking about their life of continual journeying, which leads them as far away as Egypt, highlighted by the pyramids in the upper left. Abraham is known as the first monotheist and in the background, idols are being destroyed. The words coming out of his mouth are in Arabic, jumbled, but invoking a prayer about God and the first prophet, Abraham.

I have painted the symbol of pilgrimage in Islam, the black box shaped Kaaba in Mecca, upon Abraham’s head, and Abraham is thinking about the concept of pilgrimage. The blue glove he is holding represents positive energy, just as the Islamic folk symbols of Fatima’s Hand or the Evil Eye, which are signs of protection and the desire for goodness in life, are traditionally depicted with blue.

Together Abraham and Sarah are thinking about so many things, both the joys and hardships of life’s journey. Sarah is specifically thinking about not being able to have a child. The touch of their hands represents an intimate gesture; they have contact, but no child, signified by the wearing of gloves. The glass box around Sarah’s head is representative of her imagination and of all that she is processing and thinking about: God, the journey they are on, her maidservant Hagar, her deep longing for a child. In her arms she is holding the soul of a child, the child she is longing for, which is in the color yellow, representing God’s breath or God’s presence.

Sinan Hussein

Welcoming the Stranger, 2019, Mixed media on canvas, 45 x 60cm

My paintings frequently blend the contemporary with the historical. In this painting, Abraham and Sarah are welcoming Ishmael into their lives. Outside of Islam, Ishmael is very often viewed as secondary in importance, and therefore not always universally accepted. So, in this painting he is representative of “the other.” God is sending down a blessing upon Ishmael’s head. The sky is full of celebration. The figures are celebrating, representing angels and souls, flying souls, and as they are not human, they can take on different forms and change shapes. The cone is a symbol I often use to represent a very personal or sacred moment. As when cones are set up to block off something, preventing public access, so here it is symbolic of an inner experience, a deeper dimension. I use the green glove here to portray an extremely positive moment, as it is a sacred color in Islam. Welcoming the stranger, “the other,” is to be embraced and celebrated.

Sinan Hussein

Sacrificial Love, 2019, Mixed media on canvas, 45 x 60cm

Here I have painted Abraham sacrificing his beloved son, Ishmael. In the Qur’an the story is told as a dream, not as something that actually happened. Although it does not specifically name the son, our tradition holds that is Ismael, expressing Abraham’s true sacrificial love for God in his willingness to sacrifice his son. This is a sacramental moment we commemorate every year on the same day and at the same time for the Eid al-Adha. The figure behind Abraham is wearing a sheep’s mask and holding Abraham’s arm to prevent him from actually killing Ishmael. The black glove is representative of evil and the red of bloodshed. Even today, whenever something evil is happening, such as a religious fundamentalist group doing evil, black is often worn. The souls in the sky are talking with Abraham and offering comfort to Ishmael, assuring him this is only a dream, an illusion. Ishmael’s face is marked on the sheep and the cones represents the presence of a sacred moment, God’s provision of a ram, and how sacrificial love for both the “Great Other” (Allah/God) and for “others” is what we should demonstrate in our lives.

Sinan Hussein

The Compassionate, 2019, Mixed media on canvas, 45 x 60cm

Here I painted the red, the fire, and the emerging figures on the right as if they have come from Hell, representing the evil of Sodom and Gomorrah. Their faces are disfigured because evil does terrible things to a person. But not all the people in Sodom and Gomorrah were evil, and here Abraham is pleading to God to have compassion on them. God is sending a message to Abraham through a yellow bird-like form, as in Islam birds are sometimes used to send messages. The yellow of Abraham’s boots is representative of his divine protection from the evil in Sodom, so that nothing unclean or evil may cling to him. After God accepts Abraham’s compassionate plea for them, he will ask Abraham to take off his boots. The cone is symbolic of a sacred or hallowed moment and upon it is a herald from God. God has accepted Abraham’s prayer and will take the message of compassion captured at this moment to the entire world for all time, hence we know of the story today. The grass on the left represents good, hope for a good future, full of compassion and mercy toward all.

Sinan Hussein

Friend of God, 2019, Mixed media on canvas, 45 x 60cm

This painting is a celebration of life. All the earth, people, creatures, vegetation and animals come together for a festival around Abraham. God has sent a pink horse, a sign of celebration, for his friend Abraham to ride on in this great festival of life. Because Abraham embraces all that God has created, people throughout the whole world never stop praising his name. The earth is alive, and the face of the souls all around him are in a state of ecstatic joy. Even a cat’s face has taken on the appearance of a dog, in the glorious embrace of all things. Abraham’s green gloves symbolize God’s endorsement and pleasure. Everything is swimming around Abraham as he blesses all on this sacred earth.

Born in 1977, Sinan Hussein’s artistic legacy extends from the vision of his Mesopotamian ancestors and its vast civilization and splendorous history to the horrifying present. The silent discourse, the gaze of his figures and the unusual objects in his paintings are a living metaphor from the past. At the age of 14 Sinan practiced art by sketching portraits of his friends and family. His artist and musician father recognized his talent and encouraged him to continue his art journey, first with several years of self-study, observing the classic, modern and contemporary artists. Sinan then obtained his BFA at the University of Fine Arts in Baghdad. Soon after graduation, in 2004, he left Baghdad because of the war and the sectarian violence that almost ended his life three times. He found refuge in Kuwait and eventually in the United States. The nostalgia of Sinan's homeland and search for a new home have enriched and shaped his paintings. He has participated in many highly acclaimed solo and group exhibitions in the Middle East, Europe and the United States. His artwork is collected by Middle Eastern and Arab royalty, governments and private collectors around the world. He is a member of the Iraqi Fine Arts Artist Society and The Union of Iraqi Artists. Sinan is from a Muslim background.