Mustafa Sidki

Artist statement

Until my late teens I grew up in a strict Muslim household where everyone was expected to take part in religious activities. From an early age we were encouraged to memorise prayers and fast during the month of Ramadan. With peers I was perceived as English but at home a different set of rules applied.

Over thirty years later and an atheist, those Islamic traditions and religious indoctrination lay buried and are unconsciously, deeply embedded. My work is based upon these memories.

I have created a series of works around a theme that refer to the interpretation of traditional prayers, employing a typographical approach utilising both digital and traditional letterpress processes. I use relief printmaking with monoprint, wooden type and linocuts to create these unique prints. I am also exploring 3-D forms that incorporate construction with traditional printmaking methods. 

Everything I create starts life, or has been recorded, in a sketchbook. These sketchbooks are on going, forming a rich document of thoughts and ideas, both technical and conceptual.