Unvanquished
March 7, 2023 12:34 PM Subscribe
On Iraq’s art under two decades of occupation. An often overlooked aspect of this story is how these artists had worked to develop a sense of appreciation among local audiences, who were being introduced to a new definition of art spread by a heterogeneous global modernism, the paradigms of which were distinct from those of preexisting traditions. They also inaugurated educational programs, galleries and art museums, publications, and other modalities of displaying, disseminating, and convening around artistic production. These efforts had a tremendous impact not only in Iraq but throughout the region. One of the catastrophic repercussions of the invasion was that it undermined decades of that labor.
posted by Ahmad Khani at 12:45 PM on March 7, 2023 [4 favorites]
Hanaa Malallah's work is particularly affecting. Shroud IV in particular is hard to look at / hard to turn away from
To physically taste war is completely different than to experience it second-hand. The first lesson taught by physically tasting war is that ruination is the essence of all being: Death has no meaning and anything solid can be reduced to nothing in seconds. The learning of this process of vanishing, this morphing of matter to dust, of something into nothing, has led me to conclude that ruination, or destruction is hidden de facto in the phenomenon of figuration. Thus, for the last five years explored the space located between figuration and abstraction, between existing and vanishing, a concept which for me also holds deep spiritual meaning.
It is well known that the technical aspects of my practice include the burning, distressing and obliterating of material: I have termed this Ruins Technique. Clearly, this technique owes its existence to the lethal face of war.· This does not mean that I am reproducing the idea of war. Instead I am utilizing its intrinsically destructive process to engender the visceral experience of the reality of war irrespective of its geographic/political particular.
posted by chavenet at 3:27 PM on March 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
To physically taste war is completely different than to experience it second-hand. The first lesson taught by physically tasting war is that ruination is the essence of all being: Death has no meaning and anything solid can be reduced to nothing in seconds. The learning of this process of vanishing, this morphing of matter to dust, of something into nothing, has led me to conclude that ruination, or destruction is hidden de facto in the phenomenon of figuration. Thus, for the last five years explored the space located between figuration and abstraction, between existing and vanishing, a concept which for me also holds deep spiritual meaning.
It is well known that the technical aspects of my practice include the burning, distressing and obliterating of material: I have termed this Ruins Technique. Clearly, this technique owes its existence to the lethal face of war.· This does not mean that I am reproducing the idea of war. Instead I am utilizing its intrinsically destructive process to engender the visceral experience of the reality of war irrespective of its geographic/political particular.
posted by chavenet at 3:27 PM on March 7, 2023 [3 favorites]
Thanks for this post. A thoughtful introduction and context. The samples included in the piece are each quite affecting.
posted by latkes at 6:20 PM on March 7, 2023
posted by latkes at 6:20 PM on March 7, 2023
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