Jamali (born Aqdas Hussain Khan, 1944 in Pakistan) is an American avant-garde artist.[1][2] His artistic style has been termed Mystical Expressionism[3] by art critic and historian Donald Kuspit. He is known for his unique, organic textures, experimental techniques, and figurative paintings of women. Currently his bestselling works are pigment on cork. He is a SufiMuslim, and his spirituality is highly related to his art.[2]
Jamali was born Aqdas Hussain Khan on April 12, 1944, in Peshawar, Pakistan, to Shafquat and Ahmad Hussain Khan.[1] His autobiography reports that his family was visited by a wise man who prophesied that the family would achieve greatness and should adopt the surname Jamali. As a teenager, Jamali attended the Cadet College Hasan Abdal, but left due to its warlike bent.
Travels
After the Indo-Pakistani War of 1965, Jamali made a pilgrimage to Tirich Mir and then traveled throughout Europe, seeking a stable home for his mission of Art and Peace.[1] In Paris he met a number of American students studying abroad and decided to apply to the University of Central Florida to study Fine Art. Jamali moved to America in 1970 on a student visa to attend the University of Central Florida. He has been based in the US since then.
Career
Aqdas Jamali started going by the mononym Jamali as he launched his career in the 1970s. In this time, the artist worked primarily in pastel on paper. After successful initial exhibitions, Jamali was inspired to embark upon more experimental methods and media, including but not limited to cork, egg tempera, and bronze. Today he is considered a prominent modern expressionist[2] who owns and operates contemporary art galleries in New York and Florida.
Books
Jamali's work is documented in two volumes, Mystical Expressionism and Mystical Expressionism - Dreams and Works,[2][3] as well in his recently published autobiography Jamali: A Mystical Journey of Hope, The True Story of an American Artist (2023).[1] Jamali launched Mardan Publishing, Inc., which offers limited edition artist proofs of his works as well as catalogs showcasing these prints and publications.[4][1]
Techniques
Jamali has created a number of his own styles and techniques in painting. For example, he produced his unique "Cork, Fresco Tempera" and "Pigment Dispersion" techniques to get, for example, more saturated color and depth to his surfaces. (For example in "Without Me X", top right)[5]
Jamali also creates bronze sculptures in unusual ways, burying the clay or plaster model in the ground for weeks or months prior to casting, similar to his paintings.[5]
Business
The artist is represented internationally, and owns and operates three galleries.
Jamali Fine Art
Jamali's flagship operation is Jamali Fine Art[6] in Winter Park, Florida. This is the operational core of Art and Peace, Inc., Mardan Publishing, Inc., and Jamali Fine Art, L.L.C. This location contains a gallery marketplace and an administrative center with amenities such as a full service frame shop, large-scale scanner, large format printer and an art studio for Jamali.
The Jamali Gallery[8] in the SoHo district of New York City was established in 2006. The gallery offers regular events and exhibitions of the artist's work.[9] It is in the historic Kochendorfer Building. (Note: as of June 2022 the New York Gallery has been relocated to our Winter Park, FL headquarters.)
Solo exhibitions
Jamali has held over 100 one-man shows in the U.S. Selected exhibitions include:
2018 “Pastel Retrospective”, Jamali NYC Gallery, New York, November 4-January 1
2016 “The Shroud”, Jamali NYC Gallery, New York, May 1–June 30
2015 “Mystical Leaves”, Jamali NYC Gallery, New York, October 1–January 31
2015 “Three Mystics, Hands & Hearts”, Jamali NYC Gallery, New York, November 1, 2014–February 1
2012 Grand Opening, Jamali Gallery, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, November 15–16
2012 Gallery d’Orsay, Boston, Massachusetts, November 1–30
2012 Fifth Avenue Design Gallery, Naples, Florida, February 23
2010 “Nevelle”, Jamali NYC Gallery, New York, October 15–December 1
2009 “The Lost Horse”, Jamali NYC Gallery, New York, March 6–31
2008 “Four Horsemen“, Jamali NYC Gallery, New York, May 29–September 1
2008 “Four Horsemen”, Art Resources Gallery, Minneapolis, Minnesota, May 1–June 15
2008 “New York Muse“, Madison Gallery, La Jolla, California, August 1–31
2008 “Seven Steps to Heaven“, Jamali NYC Gallery, New York, February 2–April 23
2008 “Jamali: New Works”, New River Fine Art, Fort Lauderdale, Florida
2008 “Frescos”, Jamali Fine Art, Naples, Florida
2008 “Dancer”, Jamali NYC Gallery, New York, November 15, 2007–January 13
2008 “Day”, Jamali Fine Art, Naples, Florida, December 5–January 10
2007 “Day”, Jamali NYC Gallery, New York, September 13–November 11
2006 Syd Entel Galleries, Tampa Bay, Florida, October
2006 “Journey of Hope”, Jamali NYC Gallery, New York, December 7, 2005–January 20
2006 Art Miami, Miami, Florida, January 1–31,
2006 “Jamali: New Works”, Stellers Gallery, Jacksonville, Florida
2006 “Jamali: New Cork Paintings”, Onessimo Fine Art, Palm Beach Garden, Florida
2006 “Jamali: New Cork Paintings”, Art & Peace, Inc., Winter Park, Florida, June 1–3
2005 Chicago Navy Pier Art Show, Pop-n-Art Gallery, Chicago, Illinois, May 1–30
1 2 3 4 Jamali (2003). Jamali: mystical expressionism: dreams and works. Donald B. Kuspit, Philip E. Bishop. [New York]: Rizzoli International Publications in association with Art & Peace, Inc. ISBN0-9744609-0-7. OCLC55030145.
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