The ARAK Collection is Proud to Announce the Publication of Rudolf Seibeb: Portraits of the Common

The ARAK Collection is Proud to Announce the Publication of Rudolf Seibeb: Portraits of the Common

Doha, Qatar — 2025

The ARAK Collection, in partnership with Hamad Bin Khalifa University Press, announces the release of Rudolf Seibeb: Portraits of the Common, a study of Namibian artist Rudolf Seibeb and the communal, material, and historical forces that inform his work.

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Born in Okahandja in 1964, Seibeb has developed a practice rooted in everyday encounters, social memory, and an inventive use of found materials. His portraits and assemblages reflect the tensions, humour, and shared humanity of the world around him.

This publication presents new writing, interviews, and full-colour documentation that together illuminate the depth and trajectory of his practice.

In his foreword, Abdul Rahman Saleh AlKhelaifi, Founding Director of the ARAK Collection, reflects on the quiet precision of Seibeb’s vision:

“His art documents the often-overlooked moments in daily experience, connecting viewers across distance and background.”

Seibeb shares, “What inspires me is human relationships my daily encounters with people. For me, every person is the same… The faces I paint are treated equally, no matter the background.”

Writer Ashraf Jamal describes the complexity and candour of the artist’s universe:“To enter Seibeb’s world is to meet both clarity and ambiguity. He neither instructs nor persuades; he simply presents what he sees.”

Seibeb’s work weaves individual experience with public life. Curator Jamil Osmar Parasol highlights his ability to translate political and social pressures into symbolic imagery.Namibian curator Frieda Lühl underscores his relationship to the natural world, noting the recurring animal symbols that reflect his ethos of balance and coexistence.

The publication brings together multiple voices writers, curators, and the artist himself to map Seibeb’s journey from his formative years at the John Muafangejo Art Centre to his expanded role in Namibian contemporary art.  Newly photographed works and studio reflections provide readers with direct insight into his methods and materials.

About ARAK Collection:

ARAK Collection is a Qatar-based independent initiative dedicated to advancing contemporary African art through exhibitions, research, and publications. It serves as a bridge between Africa and the Arab world, fostering cross-cultural understanding and global appreciation of African creativity. The Collection supports artists, curators, and researchers through exhibitions, fellowships, and both print and digital publishing, with holdings of over 400 emerging and mid-career African artists.

Contributor Biographies

Abdul Rahman Saleh AlKhelaifi Founding Director of the ARAK Collection. His work focuses on expanding cultural understanding across the Global South through the collection, research, and institutional collaboration.

Ashraf Jamal South African writer, critic, and academic. Known for his incisive essays on contemporary African art, he explores the relationships between aesthetics, ethics, and lived experience.

Jamil Osmar Parasol Curator and researcher whose work examines political narrative, memory, and visual allegory. His writing often focuses on artists who work with found materials and socially embedded practices.

Frieda Lühl Namibian curator and art historian with a focus on the environment, indigenous knowledge systems, and local artistic ecologies. She has written extensively on contemporary Namibian art.

Marcos Jinguba Angolan cultural practitioner involved in arts education and community-based creative initiatives. His work engages with artistic mentorship and regional artistic networks.

Elize van Huyssteen Namibian arts educator and researcher whose interests include material culture, pedagogy, and the development of local art movements.

Banji Chona Writer and interdisciplinary artist exploring the relationship between daily life, abstraction, and communal experience. Her observations of Seibeb’s studio practice form a key part of the publication.

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