The Soul Of Light

The Soul of Light was created in response to poetic theatre texts written by Habibah Sheikh, a nomadic performance artist originally from Lebanon, and the curator of the Mitli Mitlak exhibition. In the text, a character named Ruba experiences the destruction of war firsthand and becomes a refugee in the process.

This painting represents a scene in Mitli Mitlak (Like You, Like Me). There is a mythical character called ‘Spirit Master’, who separates Ruba’s spirit from her lifeless body, and conducts a soul migration ceremony for her to go to the light in the ‘Out of Life’. Abbas Yousif’s painting overlaps the below two sentences spoken by the Spirit Master, in painted Arabic letters:

Mitli Mitlak (Like You, Like Me), Act 1 Scene 4

Spirit Master: “The Darkness Of These Waters Shall Be Cast With A Light.
I Come To Bless The Soul Of Light.”

Abbas Yousif’s multimedia works are made from calligraphy and the Arabic alphabet. The Arabic letters are charged with explosive graphic symbols, which are like “spells” and aesthetically abstract. He applies different colors, printing techniques, collage, pastes, huge canvas, zinc etching on zinc, copper, and silkscreen in his process.