Artist response: Layla Ali

Laylah Ali:  Artist, Painter

Laylah Ali was born in 1968 and works from Williamstown, MA.  Ali’s work is primarily, meticulously planned and executed, gauche paintings on paper.  Ali uses an abstract style in her figures, characterized by oversized heads, elongated bodies, and gender neutrality.  Her longest running series of works features characters, whom she dubs “Greenheads,” which are brown-skinned, gender non-specific figures which reference American folk lore, as well as Egyptian, and comic book style influences. (Art21, 2012) 

Ali paints to express her feelings concerning socio-political issues and current events, although the narrative of her paintings is not specific to any real event.  The issues that Ali covers are international and date back to the earliest history of man. (Art21, 2012)

When researching Laylah Ali, I was drawn to several main facets of her personality and her art.  Her abstract style is very high quality, without being anatomically accurate—which is a style that I can certainly identify with my work.  She is my age, so many of her experiences , and remembrances of the changing world are similar to mine, although I am sure that race and gender influence each of our perspectives.  Her use of gauche as her primary medium particularly interests me, because all of the painters that I have studied so far, use oil as their primary medium.  I think that her use of gauche certainly proves that any medium can be manipulated to render high quality art. I identify with Ali’s statement that she “must” create to ease her soul and certain energy within herself.  I believe that my relative unhappiness throughout life was a reaction to a lack of expression—of my emotions, my beliefs, my ideas, and of many things that I cannot name, but which drive me subconsciously.  Most of all, I enjoy her work.  I find her work pleasing to observe, even though many of the scenes are violent or contain a narrative that is suppressive or betraying.