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Cartoon

‘Back to School’: September Cartoon

We have commissioned weekly cartoons by Iraqi caricaturist Khudair Alhimyari. This month’s theme is Back to School, and the artist will be commenting on the art schools and other educational institutions in Iraq, which suffer from a lack of funds. Below, the school calendar kicks out art lessons from the timetable. Art lessons are being…

Event, Exhibition

Calling Calouste: New Iraqi Photography at the Gulbenkian Building, Baghdad

Ruya has commissioned ‘Calling Calouste’, an exhibition of new Iraqi photography. The show will be held at the Ministry of Culture’s Gulbenkian Building in Baghdad that opens on 1 October. The exhibition, conceived by Ruya’s Iraq Director, Furat al Jamil, in close collaboration with the artists, brings together young, emerging and established photographers from across…

Interview

Reviving Iraq’s ancient crafts: interview with the artist Rashad Salim

Rashad Salim is an Iraqi-German artist and designer based in London. His project, Ark Re-Imagined, aims to build a functional and floating vessel that re-imagines Noah’s Ark, using indigenous ancient boat making techniques. The artist has been working with local craftspeople across Southern Iraq in this project. In May 2016, Salim was awarded a grant…

Cartoon

‘The Marshes’: August Cartoon by Khudair Alhimyari

Each week, Ruya will be sharing a cartoon by Iraqi caricaturist Khudair Alhimyari. This month’s theme is the marshes, which were recently named a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Below, an ordinary man and a cleric hold different magnets in a cartoon called: ”Attracting Tourists”. Below, the man on the boat tells his friend: “Be careful,…