The Eternal Africa: Colors and Shadows – Art Exhibition by Mubarak Abbas

As part of our deep commitment to promoting cultural learning, community engagement, and global understanding, Bay Atlantic University is proud to host a special pop-up exhibition: The Eternal Africa: Colors and Shadows.

We warmly invite our students and the entire DC community to join us from November 18th to November 20th, 9 AM to 5 PM daily, for this unique cultural event.

This is more than just an art show; it’s an opportunity to explore powerful global perspectives right here at BAU. This pop-up exhibition offers a journey into the heart of Africa through the visionary works of renowned Sudanese artist Mubarak Abbas.

Discover the continent’s people, tribes, enchanting landscapes, rituals, and cultural memory, captured in Abbas’s distinctive style. For over fifty years, his art, often rendered in striking monochrome complemented by vibrant colors, has reflected Africa’s richness and spirit. The dialogue between monochrome and color mirrors the dialogue within Africa itself: between memory and renewal, history and imagination.

The atmosphere will be enhanced by unique African music, adding rhythm and harmony to this celebration of art and culture. Don’t miss this opportunity to explore the power, beauty, and enduring spirit of Africa and engage in a meaningful cultural experience right here at BAU.

Monochrome Meets Color: Selected Works

About the Artist

Mubarak Abbas is a visionary Sudanese artist and academic, celebrated for founding a distinctive school of black-and-white painting. For over fifty years, he has produced an extraordinary body of work marked by depth, mastery, and innovation. His art, often rendered in striking monochrome, is complemented by vibrant colors and experiments with natural materials, reflecting both technical brilliance and creative versatility.

Deeply influenced by the spirit of African art, Abbas’s work mirrors the continent’s diversity, richness, and beauty, capturing its landscapes, traditions, and cultural contrasts. Through his prolific career, he has elevated Sudanese and African art onto the global stage, offering timeless visual narratives of resilience, memory, and belonging.

As both an artist and an academic, Abbas’s legacy is one of teaching, inspiring, and creating. His school of black-and-white expression continues to shape generations, while his own creations transcend the canvas, uniting heritage with innovation. Today, he stands as one of Sudan’s most influential contemporary artists, a pioneer whose prolific career has spanned more than five decades.

In recognition of his contributions to art and peace, Abbas was honored by the World Affairs Council of Harrisburg with the “Peacemaker in Our Midst Award” during the International Peace Symposium at Elizabethtown College on September 20, 2025.