John Armstrong, a Catholic painter, and Abdoulie Conteh, a Muslim artist from the Gambia, are showing paintings in their annual exhibition at the St Luke’s Studio in Portslade near Brighton.
The exhibition, called Art for Nature and showing landscapes and abstracts, will run until August 28. As has been the case in recent years, a priest and an imam have both agreed to speak after the mayor’s official opening of the exhibition.
For their part, Mr Conteh and Mr Armstrong have been conducting a dialogue for some time in the belief that the truth is found and recognised in both religions. Both Muslims and Christians are, after all, believers, the artists say. Mr Conteh and Mr Armstrong want to give courage to all believers and artists and those who are coming to the truth.
The artists draw attention not only to the impermanence of the world but to our responsibility as stewards who are expected to care for it.
For both Christians and Muslims the basic belief is in the same God of love who created the universe and who we worship in different ways. St Luke’s studio is a small workshop and window gallery on a high street in Hove.
This exhibition is one of a series. In future it is hoped to explore Muslim and Christian unity by painting more on spiritual themes.
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