Faisal Abdu'Allah
Faisal Abdu'Allah | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1969 London, England |
| Occupation(s) | Artist, barber, academic |
| Years active | 1990s–present |
| Known for | Photography, screenprinting, installation art |
Faisal Abdu'Allah (born in London, 1969) is a British creative professional and barber recognized for his contributions to photography, screenprinting, and installation art.
Life and career
Originally named Paul Duffus at birth in 1969, Abdu'Allah was raised within a Pentecostal household. His education includes attendance at Willesden High School, Harrow School of Art, Central Saint Martins, and the Royal College of Art. In 1991, he embraced Islam and adopted his current name; this transformation was captured by the BBC and inspired his 1992 piece Thalatha Haqq (Three Truths). He has held teaching positions at the University of East London and served as a visiting professor at Stanford University. Additionally, he belongs to the Association of Black Photographers.
Abdu'Allah was appointed artist-in-residence at the University of Wisconsin-Madison Arts Institute in 2013 and returned the following year as an assistant professor within the School of Education's Art Department. He currently holds the position of associate professor and was honored with a Romnes Faculty Fellowship in 2017.
Among his significant works are The Last Supper, which depicts individuals dressed in Islamic clothing gathered around a table featuring a Judas figure hiding a firearm, and Silent Witness, a piece that merges portraits of young Black men with an audio element combining rap music, prayer, and interview excerpts.
Group exhibitions
- 1993: Borderless Print at Rochdale Art Gallery, Rochdale. Exhibited alongside Saleem Arif, Chris Ofili, Donald Rodney, and Maud Suiter.
- 1994: Us an' Dem held at The Storey Institute, Lancaster. Included artists Denzil Forrester and Tam Joseph.
- 1995: Make Believe, presented across Royal College of Art Galleries and various London venues, in collaboration with Clive Allen.
- 1995: Revelations exhibited at Bonington Galleries, Nottingham, featuring Clive Allen.
- 1995: The Impossible Science of Being: Dialogues between Anthropology and Photography at The Photographers’ Gallery, London. Showcased alongside Zarina Bhimji and Dave Lewis.
External links
- Short description with empty Wikidata description
- 1969 births
- Living people
- 20th-century English male artists
- 21st-century English male artists
- Academics of the University of East London
- Alumni of Central Saint Martins
- Alumni of the Royal College of Art
- Artists from London
- Black British artists
- British contemporary artists
- Converts to Islam from Protestantism
- Former Pentecostals
- Barbers
- British hairdressers