Salah Elmur (b. 1966) is an internationally recognized contemporary artist from Khartoum, Sudan, who lives and works in Cairo, Egypt. Elmur has developed a rich visual language imbued with cultural and environmental markers from his upbringing on the banks of the Nile river. Inspired by daily observations, folklore, nature and archival images from his father’s famed photographic studio in Khartoum, Elmur deftly uses color and distortion to create surrealistic scenes filled with fresh perspective and hope.
A graduate of the University of Sudan’s College of Fine and Applied Art, Elmur has exhibited for over three decades across Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States. His work stands in the permanent collections of the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, Zeitz MOCAA in Cape Town, the Bunker Artspace in West Palm Beach, the Sharjah Art Museum and MACAAL in Marrakesh.
This solo exhibition, painted exclusively for Martin Projects at Armory 2023, offers a deep dive into the artist’s most profound influences and memories from his upbringing in Sudan. According to Elmur, “I am a direct reflection of my past. Given the current situation in my country, I felt compelled to tell another version of the story from my humble perspective – one that revolves around the sanctity of life, beauty, serenity and the everyday torchbearers of our proud culture.”
