THE SCRIBE

Mystical Expressionism
Jamali (born Aqdas Hussain Khan, Pakistan, 1944-to present) is an American avant-garde artist. His artistic style has been termed Mystical Expressionism by art critic and historian Donald Kuspit. He is known for his unique, organic textures, experimental techniques, and figurative paintings of women. Spirituality and mysticism take center stage in this style; Jamali’s compositions are based on the artist’s own dreams. Jamali continually explores the profound questions of human emotion while investigating new formal strategies through which he may do so. The majority of Jamali’s art is created through meditative dance, moving the pigments across the surface with his feet. This unorthodox physicality is characteristic of the artist’s philosophy of complete integration, where his body, falling leaves, and splashing pigments come together to create a powerful and personal image. Jamali’s complex surfaces and intense subject matter associates him with Neo-expressionism and artists such as Anselm Kiefer and Georg Baselitz. His gestural techniques are evocative of the action paintings by Jackson Pollock and the New York School. Jamali’s work is documented in two volumes, Mystical Expressionism and Mystical Expressionism — Dreams and Works. Currently his bestselling works are pigment on cork. He is a Sufi Muslim, and his spirituality is highly related to his art. His work is part of major collections throughout Europe, the United States, and Asia.