Scilla, cowslip and losing to the school teacher, 2022
Acrylic on wood panel
90cm x 90cm
Painting origin: friendly chess game
Date: 09/10/2017
Players: Ahmed Mohamed vs Bryan Gerard Duffy
Opening: Scotch Four Knights Game
Result: 1-0 Ahmed Mohamed wins
Observation:
A slow cautious opening by both. Bryan made a slip in the middle game, hoping for a recovery but Ahmed swapped off his pieces and had pawn advantage in the endgame.
This series of paintings with patternings were inspired by a “Jaima”, the traditional tent of the nomadic Sahrawi people. These paintings are developed upon the recorded moves made in the games of chess played with the locals of Western Sahara. The Sahrawi’s speak of being used as pawns in the West’s sinister game of chess. Chess is a metaphor for war and is used as a starting point and pattern for each of my paintings.