Interview 

A time for change: Bassim al Shaker

One of the youngest artists in the Pavilion of Iraq at the 55th Venice Biennale, Bassim Al-Shaker (b. 1986, Baghdad, Iraq) is stylistically one of its most traditional, making oil paintings that would very much impress his teachers at the local academy. Eschewing any sign of avant-gardism he paints scenes of the southern marshlands, suggesting a lifestyle…
Interview 

The meaning of cardboard: WAMI (Yasseen Wami and Hashem Taeeh)

WAMI is an artistic partnership quite rare in Iraq. Yasseen Wami (b. 1973, Basra, Iraq) and Hashim Taeeh (b. 1948, Basra, Iraq) work together to make installations of furniture from new and used cardboard. The modest material and basic, minimalist style they prefer are entirely at odds with a popular taste in Iraq for gilded home furnishings.…
Interview 

Discovering Tintin in 70s Baghdad: Abdul Raheem Yassir

Abdul Raheem Yassir (b. 1951, Qadisiyah, Iraq), who took part in the Pavilion of Iraq commissioned by the Ruya Foundation for the 55th Venice Biennale, is widely regarded as one of the best political cartoonists now working in Iraq, responding to the absurdity of his circumstances with ironic humour and poignancy. His style is smart in…
Interview 

Dodging Car Bombs: Kadhim Nwir

The abstract canvases of Kadhim Nwir (b. 1967, Qadisiyah, Iraq), which were first exhibited at the Pavilion of Iraq at the 55th Venice Biennale, reflect urban life through a combination of distressed colour and graffiti-like drawing. Stencilled letters and numbers sometimes convey clear messages – “IRAQ”, “2003” – or they embody a meaning known only…