Mohammad Omer Khalil's 'Common Ground' Exhibition Surveys Six-Decade Printmaking Career Across Five Venues
The exhibition titled 'Mohammad Omer Khalil: Common Ground' will be open until May 31, 2026, celebrating the work of Sudanese printmaker Mohammad Omer Khalil, who was born in 1936. After his studies in Khartoum and Florence, Khalil relocated to New York in 1967. This showcase is hosted across five locations: Blackburn Study Center, Twelve Gates Arts, Arab American National Museum, Maqām Studio, and Jay Seven Inc. His art merges Sudanese heritage with European styles, featuring references to artists like Bob Dylan and Umm Kulthum. Khalil taught in Morocco and New York from 1973 to 2012. The exhibition features collage paintings, etchings, and an interactive archive. He has not visited Sudan since leaving at 22, describing it as a 'forgotten country.'
Key facts
- Mohammad Omer Khalil was born in Sudan in 1936
- Exhibition 'Mohammad Omer Khalil: Common Ground' runs through May 31, 2026
- Khalil has lived in New York since 1967
- He trained in Khartoum, Sudan and Florence, Italy
- Khalil taught for nearly 30 years in Morocco at the Asilah Cultural Moussem
- The exhibition spans five venues including the Blackburn Study Center in New York and the Arab American National Museum in Dearborn
- Khalil's work references Bob Dylan and Egyptian singer Umm Kulthum
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art recently acquired 32 prints by Khalil
Entities
Artists
- Mohammad Omer Khalil
- Robert Blackburn
- Mavis Pusey
- Camille Billops
- Emma Amos
- Norman Lewis
- Sean Scully
- Jim Dine
- Louise Nevelson
- Romare Bearden
- Bob Dylan
- Umm Kulthum
- Tayeb Salih
Institutions
- Robert Blackburn Printmaking Workshop
- Blackburn Study Center
- Twelve Gates Arts
- Arab American National Museum
- Maqām Studio
- Jay Seven Inc
- The Africa Center
- Anthology Film Archives
- Pratt Institute
- Queens Museum
- The New York Public Library
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Asilah Cultural Moussem
- The New School
- Columbia University
- New York University
- Forbes
Locations
- Sudan
- Khartoum
- Italy
- Florence
- New York
- New York City
- Philadelphia
- Dearborn
- Michigan
- Brooklyn
- Morocco
- Asilah
- Tangier
- Casablanca
- Europe
- Sahara
- South Sudan
- United States