At 70, Arnold Sobers continues to explore the possibilities of artistic expression, following a path that was anything but direct. Trained in business administration, he spent years working in banking and international development before deciding to pursue the artistic interests he had held since childhood. His professional life took him across continents, from Asia to Africa, exposing him to different cultures, landscapes and ways of seeing.
Now based in Dakar, Senegal, the African American artist works across drawing, painting and sculpture, moving between figuration and abstraction. A defining feature of his practice is its strong sense of materiality: his works explore texture, depth and volume through a wide range of materials, including wood, metal, clay and plaster. His experiences across different cultural contexts, alongside his observations of nature and everyday life, continue to inform his work.
In a conversation with DakArtNews at his studio, Sobers reflected on his decision to pursue art, the influence of travel and cultural encounters, his relationship with materials and the role of intuition in his creative process.
Could you tell us about your journey with art?
I’ve always loved art, ever since I was a little boy, and always wanted to pursue it. I initially studied business administration and worked in banking and international development, including with Citibank and USAID, before eventually returning to art.
I started with graphite drawing, particularly hyperrealism, and gradually moved into different forms of abstraction, from geometric to figurative, as well as painting and sculpture. I work with a variety of materials, including oil, acrylic, wood, metal and clay. I also have a strong interest in colour.
I’m essentially self-taught as an artist.
Do you remember your earliest encounter with art? What first sparked your interest?
I used to read cartoon magazines and was fascinated by the colourful characters and the way they interacted with one another. That was what first sparked my interest in art. Then, I started drawing with crayons and eventually moved on to pencil when I became more serious about it.
When did you realise that you wanted to pursue art professionally? Was there a particular moment that prompted this decision?
I already knew I wanted to pursue art as a teenager, but my parents had other plans for me. I went on to study business and was also involved in athletics. I was among the top six athletes in the country in the 100, 200 and 400 metres.
I didn’t do much art during university, although I did some clay work. I remember making a hand sculpture when I was 19. That was actually the only art class I took as an undergraduate or graduate student.
Later, when my wife and I were working overseas as diplomats, we felt that one of us should pursue what we really wanted to do. She was interested in writing, while I wanted to pursue art. I eventually made that decision, and she continued her career, eventually becoming an ambassador.
You are now based in Dakar. What is it about Senegal that makes you feel particularly inspired to create?
There’s something about Senegalese culture that encourages art and artistic expression. I felt that very strongly here. I can’t say I’ve experienced the same feeling in many other countries, apart from Indonesia. There’s something intangible about it.
I think it may go back to one of your former presidents, who loved the arts. Somehow, that appreciation seems to have extended to the people as well. You can feel it. It makes me want to create here.
I’ve also received a great deal of support from friends and family. I remember my first Biennale: there was a deadline, and I told my friends I wouldn’t be able to meet it because we were travelling. They told me not to worry and said they would take care of it. When I returned, I was included. Things were quite informal in those days. I’m now back in the country after all these years.
“Art brings me quietude and calm.”
Arnold Sobers
What does art mean to you?
First, it’s a gift. It’s an intangible gift that allows me to express subjects that I find interesting. These are usually related to people and nature: grass, trees, human figures. I find myself returning to people and nature as recurring subjects in my work. Art brings me quietude and calm. It makes me think and feel, and, from what I can see, it also makes other people think and feel.
I enjoy creating. It’s something that brings me peace, although it can be frustrating at times. For the most part, however, it’s an enjoyable experience.
In what way can the creative process be frustrating at times?
Sometimes I have so many ideas for a single piece that it’s difficult to decide which one to pursue. I might think, “Maybe I should do A,” then realise that B is interesting for another reason, and then C seems fantastic. But at some point, I have to make a choice: settle on one idea, work on it, and then move on to something else.
When you create, are you trying to communicate a particular message, or is the process more about personal expression?
For me, it’s mostly pure expression. There’s no intellectual rationale behind most of my work. There is one piece I’m currently working on, however, that does have a specific intellectual focus. It deals with race relations in the United States and is titled Broken Stars, referring to the stars on the American flag.
I’ve already started working on it, but I’d rather speak about it once it’s finished. I’ve never made a political artwork before, so this will be my first.
What would you say to viewers who approach art primarily as a political statement?
I would encourage them to open their hearts and minds to seeing something different. You can’t get stuck in your own thoughts or preconceived notions. You have to remain open to the possibility that there may be something beyond what you already believe or expect to see.
You might ask yourself: Is there something I’m missing? Is there something outside my preconceived notions that I should be willing to consider?
It’s difficult to intellectualise art. It’s a creative process, but that’s the best way I can explain it.
“I’m just expressing what my soul tells me to express.”
Arnold Sobers
What inspires you, and are there particular artistic influences that inform your work?
Nature is a major source of inspiration. It could be the shape of a baobab tree or a flamboyant tree, wet grass, ocean water or cloudscapes. I find inspiration in landscapes and in the forms and colours around me.
Culture is another important source. I’m fascinated by details such as facial scarification, jewellery, traditional hats and objects from different places. For example, I made a work inspired by a young man from Jakarta who wore a bandana. I like incorporating elements that reflect particular cultures and give viewers clues about what they are looking at.
I studied international management as part of my MBA, so I’ve always been interested in cultural differences. That curiosity naturally finds its way into my work.
Your work brings together a wide range of materials, from wood and metal to clay and plaster. What guides your choice of materials?
I love texture, and I love sculpture. If you look closely at my work, you’ll notice that many pieces have different levels of depth and texture.
I started with terracotta clay and later moved on to metal. I don’t actually do the metalwork myself: I design the pieces and collaborate with a metalworker to achieve the final result. For instance, I might take a drawing and create a frame that picks up some of its distinctive lines, so that the frame and the drawing become two works of art that complement each other.
Sometimes, the material itself suggests what I can do with it. I had a lot of wood left over from the crates used when moving between countries, and I thought it would be interesting to transform it into art. I made geometric shapes, including rectangles, circles and ovals, and experimented with impasto to create raised, sculptural surfaces.
I’ve also worked with oils, acrylics and plaster of Paris. I was drawn to the stringy elements in the plaster and wanted to see how they would interact with different colours, such as gold, blue, black and red.
I’m interested in the tactile quality of materials, in how textures, colours and surfaces interact. Sometimes even an ordinary object can catch my attention. There’s a bench in the studio, for example, with coins from different countries attached to it. It brings together texture, sculpture and painting in an unexpected way.
How does your creative process begin? Do you usually start with a specific idea?
I’m just expressing what my soul tells me to express. It comes to me in many different forms. Sometimes it starts with a dream. I dream about colour combinations and scenes. I once dreamt of my daughter in a park, surrounded by different rides, including a carousel. She emerged from the centre of it. Those kinds of images can stay with me.
Other times, inspiration comes from a particular memory or an encounter. When we were living in Indonesia, for instance, one of my daughters loved having her hair braided and was particularly fond of the colour blue. I made a portrait of her with blue braids, surrounded by Indonesian masks and wooden dolls.
But the process isn’t always that planned or intellectual. Sometimes I simply take a paintbrush and begin moving it across the surface. I follow an instinct: a line goes to the left, another straight up, then a curve. I let my creative spirit guide the movement, without trying to reproduce a particular form.
Sometimes I have so many ideas for a single piece that I have to decide which one to pursue. I might think that one idea is interesting for one reason, another for something else, and then a third one seems just as compelling. Eventually, I have to make a choice, focus on one direction, complete the work and then move on to something else.
Do you feel that certain ideas lend themselves more naturally to particular mediums?
No, I don’t think so. But sculpture is the medium I enjoy most. That’s probably why you see so many textures in my work.
I’m fascinated by the forms of leaves, for example: the spaces between them, the relationship between positive and negative forms, and the way they fall. I find these details interesting.
“I don’t seek beauty. It just presents itself.”
Arnold Sobers
At what point do you consider a work finished?
I think you have a sense of when a work is done. I can’t speak for all artists, but for me, there’s an intangible feeling that tells me I can stop. Sometimes you can also go too far.
In some of my drawings, for example, parts of a face may appear unfinished. But the viewer knows that a man has a forehead or a woman has a lower lip. I don’t need to render every detail. If I make a drawing within a rectangle and show everything, I think that becomes boring. It’s more interesting to include the essential elements in a way that draws the viewer in and gives the work some emotional content.
As an artist, what does beauty mean to you? Is it something you consciously seek when you create?
I’m not doing this on my own. It’s all a gift from God.
For example, walking barefoot on wet grass in a large garden gives you a very different sensation from walking on concrete in leather shoes. I find that difference interesting, and I try to express it in my work. I prefer the feeling of bare feet on wet grass or wet sand.
I don’t consciously seek beauty. It simply presents itself. When I wake up in the morning, I hear beautiful voices and see beautiful sunrises. I just open my eyes, and it’s there. I think that if you remain open to the positive, often the positive will come and find you.
You have lived and worked in many different countries. To what extent have these experiences influenced your art?
Travel has always been important to me. Even as a child, I knew I wanted to see the world. I studied international management and later worked overseas, beginning at the Central Bank of the Philippines. I was eager to put what I had studied into practice, and the experience exposed me to different cultures and social environments.
I was particularly interested in how people from different backgrounds could look at the same subject but understand it differently. The perspective of someone working in a bank, for example, might be very different from that of a university student or someone I met in the street. Those encounters fascinated me.
People, cultures and politics all inspire me. I’ve met people from many different places, from the Tuareg in Bamako to the Maasai in Kenya. While you can encounter many cultures in the United States too, I would rather travel and experience those places and communities directly.
Is there an idea or project you have yet to explore in your work?
There is one idea I have yet to realise. I would like to bring sculpture, painting and realistic drawing together in a single artwork. I often combine two of these elements, but I want to bring all three together.
For example, I imagine a wooden sculpture with a realistic human figure emerging from it, perhaps legs or feet protruding from the wood, alongside an abstract painted element. It would bring together three different forms of expression: sculpture, realism and painting. That’s what I would like to explore next.
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