Spotlight

PROJECT 

‘Fatherland: Serwan Baran’ the Iraq Pavilion at the 58th Venice Biennale

The Iraqi artist Serwan Baran will represent Iraq at the 58th Venice Biennale. This is the first time Iraq will be represented by a solo artist at the Biennale, and the exhibition, entitled ‘Fatherland’ is co-curated by Tamara Chalabi and Paolo Colombo. Iraqi-Kurdish artist Serwan Baran was born in Baghdad in 1968, and is considered…

Projects

PROJECT 

World Weather Network

Ruya Foundation commissioned two art projects along the Tigris River and in the marshes of southern Iraq, to address the country’s water crisis. Iraqi artists Sherko Abbas and
PROJECT 

Ruya Shop: A Contemporary Art Space and Library in Baghdad

The Ruya Foundation has opened a contemporary art library and projection space in Baghdad. The Ruya Shop is located on Mutanabbi Street, which is known for its weekly book market selling used and rare books. Every week, during the book market’s opening hours, the Ruya Shop will project a selection of video and photography by…

Journal

News 

Rest in Peace, Luay Fadhil, 1982-2023

Ruya Foundation was sorry to hear of Luay Fadhil’s untimely death in Baghdad where his body was found six days after he disappeared. Born in Baghdad in 1982, Fadhil was a filmmaker and one of the artists in Ruya’s Archaic exhibition of the Iraq Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale. After training as a construction…
News 

In Search of the Marshes: Burial of a Fish

Akeel Khreef’s year-long exploration of the drying out of Iraq’s marshes has culminated in the burial of a fish in the world’s largest cemetery. The Wadi Al Salam cemetery in the Iraqi city of Najaf attracts millions of pilgrims annually. Khreef follows traditional rituals as he walks the dead fish through the cemetery to its…

Updates

News 

Rest in Peace, Luay Fadhil, 1982-2023

Ruya Foundation was sorry to hear of Luay Fadhil’s untimely death in Baghdad where his body was found six days after he disappeared. Born in Baghdad in 1982, Fadhil was a filmmaker and one of the artists in Ruya’s Archaic exhibition of the Iraq Pavilion at the 2017 Venice Biennale. After training as a construction…
News 

In Search of the Marshes: Burial of a Fish

Akeel Khreef’s year-long exploration of the drying out of Iraq’s marshes has culminated in the burial of a fish in the world’s largest cemetery. The Wadi Al Salam cemetery in the Iraqi city of Najaf attracts millions of pilgrims annually. Khreef follows traditional rituals as he walks the dead fish through the cemetery to its…
News 

In Search of the Marshes: to Shroud a Boat

Akeel Khreef shrouds a traditional boat in a white cloth, as he mourns the decline of the ancient cultures living along Iraq’s marshes, in his May report for the World Weather Network. Follow Akeel Khreef’s journey through Iraq’s southern marshes for the World Weather Network here.
News 

In Search of the Marshes: Speaking to the Reeds

Akeel Khreef speaks to the still, silent reeds of the southern Iraqi marshes, celebrating their ancient history, and asking how they will survive the man-made ecological disasters that have lead to their decline. “You’re almost 5000 years old. What’s the difference between the past and now?” He asks. Follow Akeel Khreef’s journey through Iraq’s southern…