WE WILL MEET AGAIN IN PARADISE
Ikram Abdulkadir – Sven and Ellida Hjort’s grant exhibition
January 24–February 23, 2020
Opening: January 24, 6-9 pm

Ikram Abdulkadir has been sharing her pictures on the Instagram account @ikramianism since 2017. Now for the first time, she is presenting her work in a solo exhibition at Skånes konstförening.

We Will Meet Again in Paradise is a photographic series produced specifically for this occasion. Friendship and sisterhood are at the core of Abdulkadir’s art practice – a sense of belonging forged through the experience of being a young black Muslim woman. Her use of composition, color and light foregrounds the wisdom and strength of those she portrays. With We Will Meet Again in Paradise, Abdulkadir makes a subtle tribute to her ancestors while celebrating the beauty of her loved ones. In this way she inscribes herself in a history of collective resistance: an act of self-affirmation where young Muslims are depicted on their own terms.

In connection with We Will Meet Again in Paradise, Ikram Abdulkadir will release a publication edited and designed by Naima Bashir from Sakina Magazine. It includes contributions by Liban Abdule and Matthew Rana. The release date will be announced shortly.

Ikram Abdulkadir (born 1995 in Nairobi) is a Malmö-based photographer and poet who runs the Instagram account @ikramianism. In 2017, she was one of the finalists of Ortens bästa poet. Her poems have been published in the anthology Revolution Poetry and Mariama Jobes’ Sannu, among others. She was invited to Nachla Libre’s Artist Talks at Botkyrka Konsthall, and has participated in talks at Göteborgs Konsthall as well as Hammarkullen Konsthall. Abdulkadir’s photographic work has have been published in Vice Arabia, Paletten, Sakina Magazine and VOKS.

The exhibition is curated by Anna Wahlstedt and Jari Malta.

Ikram Abdulkadir is this year’s recipient of the Sven and Ellida Hjorts Exhibition Grant. The grant is awarded annually to an emerging artists based in Skåne. Hanni Kamaly was the first recipient of the grant in 2017, followed by LealVeileby (artist duo consisting of António Leal and Jesper Veileby) in 2018. The recipient is chosen by a committee appointed by the board of Skånes konstförening. The 2019 committee consisted of Anna Wahlstedt (former board member of Skånes konstförening), Jari Malta (Skånes konstförening) and Matthew Rana (art critic at Kunstkritikk, frieze).

Skånes konstförening’s public program and exhibitions are made possible with support from Region Skåne, Malmö Stad, the Swedish Arts Council and ABF.