We were delighted to host sound artist, musician, documentary filmmaker, and poet Yusuf Misdaq for FSA’s Artist-in-Residence program in Charleston in Spring 2023. Yusuf Misdaq is an Afghan artist who has lived most of his life in the U.K., and currently resides in Los Angeles, California. Often working under various pseudonyms (if not entirely anonymously), he has been called “a spectral presence in music,” by the Independent Curators International (ICI), and no less than a mystic in his poetry. This description is applicable to his other practices as a poet, sculptor, and performer. Alongside his artmaking, he has spent 12 years studying and walking the ancient Sufi path of Islamic Mysticism native to his motherland of Afghanistan. This Sufi practice includes advanced breath control, meditation, unity and service to all, perfection of the heart, and sublimating the ego.

For the residency, FSA engaged Misdaq’s project “Ashtiname,” for a particular iteration and performance during his time in Charleston, one of his many planned projects that had not yet manifested. “Ashtiname” is “a conceptual suite of tones, incantations, compositions, dreams, and songs” that have been inspired by a historical letter Ashtiname of Muhammad, written by the Prophet Muhammad regarding a group of Christian monks who resided in an ancient monastery on Mt. Sinai. The letter goes at lengths to elevate their status, guarantee their safety, ensure their protection, rights, and exemplifies Muhammad as a misunderstood figure in history. Inspired by this historical religious document, Misdaq produced a dynamic musical performance, including but not limited to: ambient synth music, psychedelic pop and Islamic chanting accompanied with corresponding images. FSA hosted Misdaq’s live, immersive performance as part of FSA’s Garden Party at the conclusion of Spirited Brunch (April 23rd). Misdaq’s residency culminated in a Sufi meditation at the Unitarian Church of Charleston and an artist talk at the Hindu Temple. Open to the local community, Misdaq led participants through a unique meditation experience of rhythmic chanting and breath control —as an invitation to focus upon primal emotion, a fitting conclusion to his exploration of Islamic principles of “oneness and unity.”

To view Yusuf Misdaq’s residency projects documentation in Charleston CLICK HERE