ceramics

Message from a Burning City (below: detail of reverse) 28x27cm 2004

The message is from a brother to his sister and consists of prayers from Ayet al-Kursi
(Surat al-Baqara); Allahu la ilaha illa huwa al hay al-Qayoum…particularly renowned and recited for its protective powers.

History in Ruins 30x60cm 2005 Collection British Museum

The main text consists of a repetition of the words Bism Allah al Rahman al Rahim (In the name of God the Merciful the Compassionate) and Dua’a (prayers). On its reverse are fragments from the famous poem Ya Dijlat al-Khiair (O blessed Dijla) by the renowned poet the late Mohammed Mahdi al-Jawahiri, and a repetition of the question Limatha (Why?). From the land between the two rivers, I pick up in my minds eye remnants of pages from an ancient past scripted on clay tablets… and recreate my own. I ‘sew’ them together in an act of healing and hope. I stand them tall and proud, like an open gate, defiant and dignified like our precious date palms, like our people, like our spirit. Our history, ‘world’ history, is in ruins; shattered and burnt to the ground.

Sheherazade Earthstone 39x32cm 1997

Relationships are at the core of my work and a narrative often explored within. The relationships we have with one another as human beings: man & fellow man, man & woman, parent & child, us & the ‘other’. Relationships we have with nature; earth, land, the homeland, rivers; Dijla and Furat (Tigris and Euphrates); trees; the Iraqi date palm. Relationships with the past; history, the present, and the future. Relationships with our universe; the sun, moon, stars and skies. Relationships we have with ‘ourselves’, ‘our’ own kind, ‘our’ language, ‘our’ culture, ‘our’ heritage, ‘our’ faith and ‘our’ people. And Relationships we have with the invisible, the ultimate creative force; spirituality and faith have been for me a pillar of strength particularly in recent years where inconceivable atrocities are committed in the name of freedom and democracy and in the name of religion. It is the breaking down of these relationships that troubles me as I find it a root cause for immense chaos and suffering."

Sheherazade & Shahrayar Earthstone 39x32cm & 47x40cm 1997

Of the famous Elf Layla w Layla (1001 Nights); a medieval Middle-Eastern literary epic considered as an entity among the classics of world literature. To delay her execution, the Sassanid Queen Scheherazade relates a series of stories over a period of 1001nights to her malevolent husband King Shahryar. Told every night she ends the story with a suspenseful situation, forcing the King to keep her alive for another day. Ultimately, he falls in love with her and she manages to ‘live’ happily ever after! Individual stories were created over many centuries by many people and in many styles; they have become famous in their own right. Notable examples include Ali Baba and Sindbad the Sailor.

Salat Earthstone 35x20cm 2002 Collection Centre for Arab American Studies

In anguish and despair, in anticipation of war on Iraq, in yearning for peace, Salat was born. With growing concern, I observe the injustice and turmoil in my homeland…in our troubled world…and I pray; not as a last resort, but as a profound means for a solution; with the way the situation has escalated since the beginning of the war, I can not help but wonder whether it will take a divine intervention, a miracle to bring back desperately needed law, order and peace. The Arabic word Salat originates from the word Silla, meaning ‘link/connection’ in this instance with The Creator. The two pieces work together as one, in unity.

Confined: Um Abbass & Abu Abbass Earthstone 40x20cm 2003

I often work in pairs; Al-Wihda Lilah(oneness is for God). God creates in 'twos' to comfort and support, not to kill and devastate. Confined and restricted Um Abbass and Abu Abbass; so much for freedom in new Iraq.

Adam & Eve Earthstone & Gold 60x51cm 2004 Private Collection

Again, relationships... from the beginning of time.

Ghalia Dem'at Um Abbass (Precious : Um Abbass's Tear) Earthstone 47x23cm 2006

Sisters in Harmony Earthstone 55x28cm 1998 Collection National Museum for Women in the Arts Washington USA (part of the touring exhibition Forces of Change: Artists of the Arab World, 1994)

This ‘pregnant’ pot was made after the birth of my third and last child, somehow marking the end of pregnancy for me. Originally the pot was also part of a pair telling of the special bond between sisters, particularly during the time of a new-born in the family. Unfortunately, the works were eventually separated, as were my sisters and I and as is increasingly the case with loved ones today... although never in spirit.