"Bleu Hallucinations [Collapse of The Great Nile]" unveils a visceral portrayal of Sudan's tumultuous journey through the eyes of its capital, Khartoum. Inspired by the deeply impactful "Blue 4 Sudan" exhibition on Solana, this mixed media collage pays tribute to Matar and the souls lost during the harrowing June 3, 2019, massacre, while daring to envision a reborn future along the lifelines of the Great Nile.
Here, the artwork captures the essence of a nation caught between the remnants of tyranny and the fragile seeds of hope. The ousted dictator, depicted as a malevolent entity teetering on the brink of oblivion, is accompanied by his two generals, transformed into maleficent genies' mistresses. These figures, who once commanded the massacre of 2019, are shown igniting a baseless conflict on April 15, 2023, which led to over 5 million people being displaced, weaving deceit and destruction into the fabric of Sudanese history.
Against this backdrop of despotic ruin, glitched cityscapes merge four potential futures for Khartoum into a single, fragmented reality. This fusion symbolises the shattered aspirations and the indomitable spirit of the city's denizens. Amidst the depicted chaos, a solitary sailing boat ventures through the disarray, guided by a beacon of light in the collage's far left corner. This light represents the enduring quest for safety and stability, a testament to the resilience and unity of Khartoum's people in the face of adversity.