One of the youngest artists in the exhibition, 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 there of unbroken tradition. The recent reality is very different, of course, this being a place that suffered terribly during Saddam’s dictatorship. While perhaps not straightforwardly documentary, Al-Shaker’s series reveals a side of Iraq’s landscape that even many Iraqis have never seen first-hand.
Bassim Al-Shaker, Date Sellers, 2011. Courtesy of the artist, Al-Nakhla Gallery and Ruya Foundation.
Bassim Al-Shaker, Basket Maker, 2011. Courtesy of the artist, Al-Nakhla Gallery and Ruya Foundation.