SUN PAINTINGS is a vibrant offering from Mohamed Omar’s visual & internal landscape. colorblocked skies & urban environments anticipate the presence of humans, animals, & fantasy beings. strong, dimensional, & often playful words emerge from patchwork scenery into the foreground of several pieces, calling us to explore the lively associations which rise from word, color, & embodied sense of space on canvas. 

“I am from Somalia, and I came here when I was five. I moved in with Melles (my friend and home provider) when I was seventeen. I'm an artist, and I like to paint. I do research on my computer and make a list of colors that I want to use. Elbow Room staff help me set up with materials and mix the colors of paint I need for my ideas. I get inspired by the colors of the sky, bright sunsets, primary colors, bold colors. I really wanted to use certain greens, so I painted the statue of liberty. 
I think of colors and different shapes, sometimes words. When I'm out in the community I feel OK and special and I see different things like cars, trucks, and bricks. When I see paintings like yellow, black, red, and blue, and red cars, I choose those colors, or the sunset. And I like different colors. Sometimes colors make me…” -Mohamed Omar

this show is made possible through an ongoing collaborative relationship & shared community vision with the artists, staff & programming at Elbow Room. 

Opening on sunday, february 27th, from 2-4pm.