
KARL MARX - WORKERS OF THE WORLD - Ink on paper, 65.7 x 49.8 cm, 2012, Collection Salah Hassan.
Image courtesy of Salah Hassan
The Arabic text in this Karl Marx portrait is not from the Communist Manifesto except for the « Workers of the world Unite! » on the upper part of my image. The facial features of K.Marx are made of a fake writing (Arabic letters are recognisable but there is no text). The background is made of a selection of Koranic verses inciting Muslims to fight against tyranny and injustice. I remember I discovered the Communist Manifesto as a teenager, after reading the Coran. The communist Utopia seemed similar to the Muslim Paradise.