16-10-2018
Artist Nabil Ali was born in the Southeast of England, from an Irish, Egyptian and British Indian descent. He was professionally trained in the Arts and within his practice, he uses methods described in medieval manuscripts and historical sources to develop materials for experimental dyes, paints and inks. Ali’s work focuses on the processes, exploring ways to produce colourants from organic materials grown in his workshop garden, to create installations and object art having a multitude of levels. The Artist’s Garden exhibition is a collection of photographic images representing a handful of painters and illuminators recipes influenced by technical manuals and techniques from the past. One of Ali’s accompanying sculptures was inspired by a 15th-century image of an Acanthus leaf drawn in the Göttingen Model Book and depicts structural shapes and space, whilst capturing repetitive movements of time that flows from the roots of his garden into abstract forms.
