It’s been an incredible few weeks hosting “Resistance, Rebellion & Revolution” at Left Bank. The exhibition explores the life and works of the late Libyan artist and satirist Hasan ‘Alsatoor’ Dhaimish — and has captured the imagination of so many.
We spoke to Sherif Dhaimish about the exhibition, its impact and more.
Hello Sherif! Can you tell us the story behind the exhibition?
I grew up in Burnley, which is where my dad settled after he left Libya as a young man. He left Libya in 1975 as a 19-year-old a few years after the Gaddafi regime had taken over. Around 1980 he began to publish anti-regime, pro-human rights cartoons in various publications that were being circulated around the diaspora. These were predominantly done in Arabic. Over the years he managed to become Libya’s most prolific satirist; he published work from 1980 right up until his death in 2016.
He gained a huge following post-revolution when he started to spark in popularity because his work was able to reach people inside Libya for the first time. Alongside that he was a painter and painted subjects related to music — celebrating his African heritage and also his love for jazz and blues. A lot of music that was created by people in oppressive conditions similar to what he was under.
What audience have you been hoping to reach?
I think there’s value in sharing my dad’s story and work with the people that this kind of story wouldn’t usually reach. It’s important that people in can discover something relatable to a narrative, or engage with an artwork, from communities outside their own — it brings us all closer together and helps to build cross-cultural understanding.
At the same time, we’re all human at the end of the day. There’s a lot of joy to be taken from my dad’s work — it’s colourful and vibrant. But if you read the narrative around it as well, you see a man that was in a very difficult position who had to make his life outside his home country and had to start his life from scratch. He found his own way of expressing himself and now it’s a pleasure to share that with the wider world.
Since my dad passed away, this has been a good opportunity for me to both celebrate the different sides of his work but also to learn about my own heritage and who my dad was.
And what’s been the reception to the exhibition?
It’s been overwhelmingly great. Left Bank is not a conventional gallery space, and I’ve found that both challenging and rewarding. The unconventional nature of it means that there’s constant foot traffic for various events and workshops. The first night I was in the space there was roller skating, break dancing, a reading group and embroidery going on at the same time — amazing.
My dad was a teacher — that was his day job, teaching A-level graphics at a college. He was a huge advocate for promoting critical thinking and creativity for young people in Libya — as well as art as a tool for political action. He promoted that through his artwork. Having this work in a space that is so accessible is really reflective of my dad’s philosophy towards art, satire and creativity in general, which is very much in line with what Left Bank does.
All in all it’s been very positive and I’ve had nothing but great feedback from people. People have been able to learn about Libyan culture as well as being introduced to new artwork. There’s definitely things I should have thought out in more detail and done better with, like presenting his satire in a more engaging way. In the past I’ve used a video installation for this. But I keep learning and building on my own skills.
Follow the Instagram account here, and check out the website here.
You can also purchase the book "A Libyan Artist in Exile" with 30% discount code LEFTBANK from Pendle Press