OriginalArtBroker
Mystical Expressionism and Jamali's Art
www.originalartbroker.com/blog/artwork/original_art/mysti...
Jamali is one of the most successful contemporary artists in the world. But along with his success has also come controversy. The artist’s willingness to rebuke the art community while simultaneously succeeding in it is one of the most fascination stories in today’s art world.
Named Faiz Aqdas Hussain Khanjamali, the artist better known as Jamali describes his style as “Mystical Expressionism.” His painting process is a spiritual event. Jamali comes from a very devout family. His father and grandfather were passionate Sufis, and he sees his spiritual role as expression his beliefs through his art. In fact his name, Aqdas, means the holy one.
With a military officer for a father, Jamali was enrolled in a Military Academy but was expelled soon after. His independent nature was not compatible with the school’s need for discipline. After his expulsion, Jamali moved to the desert for 5 years where he started painting. When he moved back to his hometown of Peshawar he completed his education before deciding to live with an isolated Himalayan tribe. After living with the tribe where he worked as a sculptor of the dead, he make the decision to move the United States and become an artist. Jamali’s range of early experiences provided meaningful inspiration for his work.
Jamali wears scrubs and a surgical mask to protect him from the paint splatter. And he wears sneakers, because he sometimes paints with his feet. Of course. His paintings are as diverse and eclectic as the man himself. Each week, he produces 7 painting. He meditates, eats organic, and lives alone. He sells his paintings himself over the phone.
Using a specially concocted substance to paint with gives Jamali paintings their trademark texture. His paintings look like ancient cave paintings, incorporating elements of nature. But there is something off about them, looking almost other-worldly. You might indeed think Jamali’s work is an ancient cave painting, but more likely from another planet. The reason for their ancient quality is not just the use of color, texture, and design. Jamali leaves each painting outside for many months to weather naturally and give them an old-world feeling. A list of oddities like this might make you assume that Jamali caters to a small niche in the art market, but that could not be farther from the truth. With art sales surpassing $35 million and collectors like Oprah Windfrey and Kelsey Grammer, Jamali is one of the most successful artists in the world.
So how did he do it? How did Jamali make an eclectic personality and equally eclectic art so shockingly mainstream? He did it his way. Rather than trying to please art critics and hoping for commercial success to follow, he focused on the commercial market form the outset. He began presenting his artwork in high-end furniture galleries in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas. He essentially peddled his paintings door to door, operating in the realm of art as interior decoration. His art was criticized as merely decoration with no substance. He went to school at the University of Central Florida, where he did not fit in. He fought with his professor’s, had a committee reject his thesis proposal, and he was not given studio space. Despite these obstacles, Jamali’s success continued to grow for his personal connections and commercial sales. His direct marketing worked. He succeeded entirely outside the art community, and now his art is embraced by the same community that once shunned him.
The lessons we can learn from Jamali are not just art lessons. The artist is more than an artist. He is an expert marketer, a creative solution-finder, and a diligent worker. If the world had more Jamali’s, it would no doubt be a better place.
Story by Orlando Sentinel
Mystical Expressionism and Jamali's Art
www.originalartbroker.com/blog/artwork/original_art/mysti...
Jamali is one of the most successful contemporary artists in the world. But along with his success has also come controversy. The artist’s willingness to rebuke the art community while simultaneously succeeding in it is one of the most fascination stories in today’s art world.
Named Faiz Aqdas Hussain Khanjamali, the artist better known as Jamali describes his style as “Mystical Expressionism.” His painting process is a spiritual event. Jamali comes from a very devout family. His father and grandfather were passionate Sufis, and he sees his spiritual role as expression his beliefs through his art. In fact his name, Aqdas, means the holy one.
With a military officer for a father, Jamali was enrolled in a Military Academy but was expelled soon after. His independent nature was not compatible with the school’s need for discipline. After his expulsion, Jamali moved to the desert for 5 years where he started painting. When he moved back to his hometown of Peshawar he completed his education before deciding to live with an isolated Himalayan tribe. After living with the tribe where he worked as a sculptor of the dead, he make the decision to move the United States and become an artist. Jamali’s range of early experiences provided meaningful inspiration for his work.
Jamali wears scrubs and a surgical mask to protect him from the paint splatter. And he wears sneakers, because he sometimes paints with his feet. Of course. His paintings are as diverse and eclectic as the man himself. Each week, he produces 7 painting. He meditates, eats organic, and lives alone. He sells his paintings himself over the phone.
Using a specially concocted substance to paint with gives Jamali paintings their trademark texture. His paintings look like ancient cave paintings, incorporating elements of nature. But there is something off about them, looking almost other-worldly. You might indeed think Jamali’s work is an ancient cave painting, but more likely from another planet. The reason for their ancient quality is not just the use of color, texture, and design. Jamali leaves each painting outside for many months to weather naturally and give them an old-world feeling. A list of oddities like this might make you assume that Jamali caters to a small niche in the art market, but that could not be farther from the truth. With art sales surpassing $35 million and collectors like Oprah Windfrey and Kelsey Grammer, Jamali is one of the most successful artists in the world.
So how did he do it? How did Jamali make an eclectic personality and equally eclectic art so shockingly mainstream? He did it his way. Rather than trying to please art critics and hoping for commercial success to follow, he focused on the commercial market form the outset. He began presenting his artwork in high-end furniture galleries in cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and Dallas. He essentially peddled his paintings door to door, operating in the realm of art as interior decoration. His art was criticized as merely decoration with no substance. He went to school at the University of Central Florida, where he did not fit in. He fought with his professor’s, had a committee reject his thesis proposal, and he was not given studio space. Despite these obstacles, Jamali’s success continued to grow for his personal connections and commercial sales. His direct marketing worked. He succeeded entirely outside the art community, and now his art is embraced by the same community that once shunned him.
The lessons we can learn from Jamali are not just art lessons. The artist is more than an artist. He is an expert marketer, a creative solution-finder, and a diligent worker. If the world had more Jamali’s, it would no doubt be a better place.
Story by Orlando Sentinel