During our studio visit, we got a glimpse into his latest body of work, an exploration of paintings and drawings as vessels of memory: one that endures, and one that fades. Through textured layers inspired by specific trees, and material tension, he reflects on how memory erodes over time. His work lingers in spaces of emotional instability and fragmented identity, resisting linear narratives and instead embracing the beauty of partial truths.

He views the world as elastic, compressing expansive scenes into canvases that breathe with movement and life. His work stretches the limits of contemporary art, rooted in a deep reverence for memory and the act of archiving fleeting moments to preserve something larger.

Snippets of our interview with Mowaffag:

“What are you communicating through your art?”

“I have started with communicating through culture, from Sudan, but then through time, experimentation and residencies I feel like I am now communicating, the idea of memory, and how memory fades and overlays. and the concept of losing memories.”

“Your work explores nature as a vessel of memory, specifically trees, can you tell us more?”

“Honestly, the trees came into my work by accident. I heart was working on an installation with a baobab tree and a painting, and a mentor suggested I try using the tree as an iconography, a part of the painting itself. At first, I wasn’t into the idea, but it started growing on me really fast, l even forgot what l originally planned.

That’s when I started researching more, and the baobab tree became something symbolic, almost like a body. It became a way to hold the stories I want to tell in my work.”