Ilham Sanoon, an artist by accident, combines the timeless twosome of black and white to create whimsical and quirky fine line art, a visual display of mysterious yet beautifully drawn elements. The striking black lines, a mix of straight and curvy embellishments on a white palette include patterns, icons, designs and abstracts, a veritable tapestry of imagination and fantasy supported by random encounters with man and nature, channelled onto sketch paper with ink. It is a journey that starts small and ends as a fine narrative after months of meticulous work.
Being an entrepreneur all his life, he discovered his passion for art by chance in 2013, a mere act of sketching art brought to life a buried passion. He brought out his thoughts of creativity and innovation freely in the isolation and quietness of the wilderness. This resulted in a collection of over 100 paintings. Opting for monochromatic combination, today he is transitioning into 2D and 3D art.
Sanoon created an edge for his work by opting for the intricate and the detailed. He opened his own gallery, Blacklit Galleria, in which he has showcased his work. The gallery with cool white walls and lighting to suit his medium of art was adorned with fanciful images that had a narration with deep meaning. A description allows the admirer to read the story on the wall and ponder.
He is fuelled with a passion to use Blacklit Galleria to reach out to fellow artists in the country. Artists, he said, are denied their place; being looked upon as people trying to make something out of art. He disagrees, because art to him is all about passion and talent.
The Blacklit Galleria is located at 6, Lauries Lane, Colombo 4. (See Shopping).