Born in 1946 and based in Tripoli, the painter Ali Abani plays a major role in the development of Libyan art. In his artworks, colour is the prevailing force, which creates an illusion of light and thus also of space, openness and vastness. Landscapes are the prevailing topic of his paintings.
By deeply observing his artworks, it is quite easier to notice a Libyan tradition related to the desert culture. Indeed, the magnificence of the clouds, which cover the sky above the desert, plays a strategic role as they refer to the traditional Libyan rainmakers’ myths of the past. Painting landscapes also means creating space and realities, and space itself translates as colour in Ali Abani’s artistic style. This colour has become more and more independent over the years, to the point of being almost psychedelic. His artistic style could be compared with the late Edgar Degas’ monotypes.
Ali Abani has recently started to use PC programs and new media for the realization of his artworks. Indeed, contemporary Libyan artists like him are trying to adapt to current artistic tendencies, while still conversing with the classical Libyan tradition, in an attempt to modernize it.