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Who Controls the Past, Controls the Future

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Who Controls the Past, Controls the Future

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The work has a famous quote from author George Orwell in his book “1948”. Though the quote is about the misleadings of the government, Ali does want people to still interpret how they see fit.

He was raised on the street that this work is on so it holds importance for him. He wanted the work to reflect on how the neighborhood looked at the time. Ali merges celtic knots as well as some Islamic geometric shapes to show how there was a large community and merging of Irish and Islamic groups.

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who controls the past controls the future

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2018, Spay paint on canvas, Theme: Peacemakers done for Good morning Sunday

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Mohammed created this work live on television on the program “Good Morning Sunday”. He was told to stick with the theme of “Peacemakers”. While it was an on the spot work he created this image based on a trip he had taken to Bosnian. At that time there was a genocide going on, over 8000 men and boys had died. This is Mohammed’s take of that trip but also how “peacemakers” aren’t always what they seem.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06pynb2

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Ali created this stencil in a response of, at the time Donald Trump's “Go home” comments toward congresswoman, Illhan Omar, but it is also an action of solidarity. He states, “Go home' is something I heard growing up in the UK. I AM home thank you very much and I am not going anywhere.” Ali shows his support for congresswoman as does many others in Birmingham. Illhan Omar is a strong woman who understands her place and shows a lot of hope and optimism to others of similar background.

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While civil unrest continued in the United States Ali created a simple symbol to show support of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement. This specific work actually got whitewashed and had to be repainted. Ali understood that that could be a possibility but he continued to work on it as he knew the importance it holds. He states, “Never underestimate the power of seeing truth upon a wall in a public space.”

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2019, spray paint. On Greenwich Mosque in UK

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While this work is in the UK, Mohammed created it for the people he met in Lebanon. In Lebanon he visited a refugee camp and worked with some of the children there. This mural is how he saw the kids, playing and making the most out of their situation. Ali states, “ I want to give people in the UK a window into their world. An image that bursts onto the streets, that’s immediate and accessible and that says war isn’t just a game we see on the TV. It kills innocent people and childhoods."
Below is a short video Ali created while at the refugee camp. While his time there was short he tried to connect with and help the people as much as he could.

<iframe title="vimeo-player" src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/323406783?h=538445e9d9" width="640" height="360" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

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2019, spray paint. Part of Bloomsbury Festival 2019 in the UK

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Bangladeshi stories: A Few Pounds in My Pocket 

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Bangladeshi stories: A Few Pounds in My Pocket 

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Ali put in a lot of work for this piece. Not only is it eye-catching with the use of colors but he spent his time interviewing Bangladeshi residents in the area to get to know their stories and how to best represent the struggles they faced. Many people in that area are immigrants or from immigrant families. The excitement about the area's growth is there for the residents but they still feel alienated from the rest of society. The struggles of not having water or setting up your own electricity is not something everyone faced but it was prominent.

https://youtu.be/PNNAcwONcr8

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2012, spray paint. On the side of the Kebabish Original Restaurant, on the corner of Huxley Road and Leyton High Road in London, UK

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Ali created this work with the group Soul City Arts. Himself and the Near Neighbours (they commision the piece) wanted to create an engaging work in time for the 2012 London Olympics.

There is a merge of Eastern and Western traditions, with the use of geometric symbols and the idea of togetherness. Ali says that it holds more importance than what some may think only because in 2011 London was torn by riots. He states “The world might have come together for the Olympics . . . this project is a perfect opportunity to transcend class, race, and faith to bring all peoples together through art.”

This spot also holds a small importance for Ali. That area used to be a swimming bath area where he had learned to swim at age six.

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2008, Spray Paint, Sparks Lane, Melbourne, Australia

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This work was an earlier piece that he did in 2008 to express Melbourne's low water issue. That area in Australia had put restrictions on water intake usage but it also didn’t have any water recycling systems in place. Mohammed shows the importance that water has and how it should never be wasted. The quote is from the Prophet Mohammed and states “do not waste water even before a flowing river” .

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Social issues in America

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Videos that connect us futher

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Mohammed Ali, also known by his artist name 'Aerosol Arabic', is an Islamic graffiti artist who merges street art and universal values. He was born and raised in the United Kingdom and currently resides in Birmingham, UK. His parents were immigrants in hopes of making a better future for him. Ali had started graffiti as a teenager as just a hobby. It wasn’t until after he finished school as a game designer he decided to pursue graffiti and social change.

Ali brings art to the streets with his talented graffiti but has expanded his style and brand. Originally just sticking with graffiti, Ali now creates different immersive ways to bring people to art. He creates videos, has live performances, moving soundscapes, digital art, and of course he still continues with the medium  he knows and loves, spray paint.

He believes that graffiti is all around us and is a part of the human experience. People are meant to connect with one another and art helps make that a reality. Mohammed Ali focuses on activism and social issues in his art, always pushing for a better world. He created Soul City Arts which is a global group meant to bring different artists, activists, and communities together in order to bring change with the strength of many.