AMINATA~DISAMU 24″x30″ oil & acrylic on canvas

Aminata~Disamu (c) 2009 Aida Toure

“I was made to love three things from your world: women, perfume, and the comfort of my eye is in prayer.” ~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

“Paradise lies at the feet of Mothers.” ~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

“Whoever knows oneself knows one’s Lord” ~Prophet Muhammad (saw)

Description: in a dimension that is ruled by ego consciousness, the attributes that gather, unites and thus mold us to embrace love are suppressed. The suppression of these spiritual attributes so naturally embodied by women, has been applied to all institutions governed by falsehood. The feminine principle which has always been revered by all prophets (as) and sages of all ages has been repressed for subtlety, mercy, gentleness, sensitivity represent true power for they propel, revolutionize, heal and restore balance and truth through Love. To encourage the cultivation of these sublime qualities, I wanted to work on a series of paintings about the feminine principle in its original manifestation on Earth.

Thus, “Aminata~Disamu” is the second painting in this specific series that started with “Kemet Incandescence”. On this painting, the subject is holding a harp which symbolizes life. Her luxurious, glowing appearance represents the spiritual essence inherent to all. With the effects of conditioning, we erroneously give more importance to the resources deemed “valuable” by alien materialistic forces while disregarding the fact that the soul is for all nations a natural resource in its purest highest form, simply because the soul funnels the attributes of The Divine, its innate purpose is to bear the qualities of Light and to manifest them to the material dimension as Cosmic Law suggests through the Sun’s relentless activity, a macrocosm of our own inner life. Let us remember that the prophets (as) were persecuted for honoring the Cosmic Order of life over the man-made corrupt systems that govern the world. This systemic tendency to covet, persecute and eliminate those who manifest their unconditional surrender to their Source,  discourages many from fully being themselves, yet light comes from The Divine One and it persists despite our not-being aware of its perpetual embrace of us. This divine phenomenon is channeled through these spiritual attributes woman embodies, she is the veil between mankind and The Divine.

(c) 2010 Aïda Touré

KEMET INCANDESCENCE 24″x30″ oil & acrylic on canvas

Kemet Incandescence (c) 2009 Aïda Touré

Description: I painted “Kemet Incandescence”

Ancestral Devotion

for the album cover of “Ancestral Devotion”, the new CD by Jazz musician Lonnie Plaxico. The piece was inspired from Africa’s ancient art that captures the spirituality of African culture, its reverence for the feminine principle and the sacredness of music. In experimenting with this different yet ancient genre of  two dimensional African art, I experienced such proximity to the very foundation of all civilizations; that I plan to explore it more. Through this painting, I wanted to honor the sacred feminine as well as the origin of the spiritual tradition of Light now known as “Sufism”.

~ Kemet Incandescence ~

Inner lamps all lit,
a billion ecstasies
are now speaking of Hu;
each, gracefully interweaving
in the Universe’s womb;
whispers of light are induced
in the pure child’s mind
through the rays of Shams,
royalty bestowed by the Divine.
You see, nobility never exiles,
although ever coveted by the fallen ones,
it dances in and out of these truths
the African genius has laid like gems
in the depths of humanity’s collective self,
yes we are these muses
who bore Kemet Incandescence,
through our Harps, Flutes and hands,
revealing the Music of the spheres
the pineal gland is immersed in:
Bismillah ir Rahmanir Rahim…

copyright 2009 Aïda Touré.