“I’ll See You On The Other Side” is a deeply personal project that ties back to notions of love, life, loss, mourning, and death as told through the art. Growing up in New York City I was always fascinated with the seemingly endless amounts of spray paint, murals, and street art that existed. I have fond memories of riding around in the back of my father’s Saab 900 and marveling at all the graffiti around me. I would often wonder how writers got all the way up on these buildings, ledges, and tunnels without falling. Out of all the art I observed, there was one particular form of it that I was drawn to, which was the dedication murals to those that passed away. I soon discovered that at the crossroads of concrete and Christianity was a beautifully complex and immortalizing form of tribute to those who are no longer with us. I was often curious as to who the people painted on these walls were, what were they like when they walked this earth, and how did they die?

 

Nonetheless and no matter the cause of death, these people were major figures in their respective communities. So much that their memories live on, venerated, painted, and plastered upon walls, 10, 15, and even 25 years after they have transitioned on to the next life. As a native new yorker, coupled with the changing onslaught of gentrification, the natural patterns of migration, and pieces of property changing hands and being repurposed, I have felt that it was imperative for me to document these murals, dedications and tributes before they are lost forever to father time.”

 

Omar Al-Sudani