Amani Azhari (b. 1998, Sudanese) received her bachelor’s in fine and Applied Arts in 2022 from University of Sudan. Through intimate portraiture and figurative paintings on canvas and paper she explores and depicts the stillness in life and moments.

Incorporating still life and pattern elements, she is developing a distinct visual language and narrative centered around feminism and women empowerment. Alongside her studio practice, she’s involved in workshops and community development initiatives aimed to inspire new women artists. She’s living and working in Khartoum, Sudan.

“My art is an expression of the moments or feelings that can’t be said or explained. Stillness, being a dominant element in my subjects, work and practice, I challenge the viewer to look at silence as an alternative to how we react to life or events around us in general. I think, sometimes, silence is an explanation for our inability to find answers to the many questions about what we are going through. How are we supposed to express tiredness? Or explain our race, gender or identity? I think silence is a simple language, maybe not an ultimate solution. I photograph cases of absorption from society through personalities that take on my personal appearance. I draw the features of my face often and mirror them in the subjects. Using one face in different personalities and sensations, invites the recipient to focus on what the characters feel, not who they are.”