“Creating these pieces is an act of devotion in itself.”
— SIDDIQA JUMA
Guided by the Qur’an and Islamic tradition, I create art that celebrates a rich religious and cultural heritage.
The first piece of art I can remember making was of a local lady near my childhood home in Dar-es-Salaam, carrying a basket of fruit on her head. It was printed in a local paper, and at the tender age of eight years old, it felt like my path in life was set.
I have throughout my life been seeking some form of expression for my faith. It is in painting however where I have found a way to express my devotion, and it is to art that I owe a debt of gratitude for awakening and maturing my faith in a way that I didn't know was possible.
It is not just the content of my work that reveals my beliefs: the processes by which my work is created has as much a story to tell. My pieces are characterised by successive layers of vivid colour and intricate repetitive patterns and calligraphy, which draw to mind the ancient illuminated Qur’ans now proudly housed in museums around the world. The vibrancy of my paintings is an aesthetic choice that speaks to the joy that my faith gives me. When I painstakingly cover a canvas with God’s name, it is my personal tasbih, or incantation. Creating these pieces is an act of devotion in itself, a stand-in for meditation, in which each occurrence of a word is like a small offering to God.
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Portfolio
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