In a fusion of east and west, tradition and modernity, my art resonates and evolves. This is a trait familiar to many who have experienced life on both sides not least of which are artists from Iraq, myself included. The artistic legacy evident in Jewad Selim’s Monument of Freedom, Ismael Fattah’s Nasb al-Shahid, Dia Azzawi's Sabra and Shatila, Mohammed Ghani’s Kahramana and Rashad Selim's Figure at the Edge of Hope, to name but a few, continues to stand the test of time. When artists furthered their education in Paris, London, Rome and other (since the 1940s) returned to Iraq, they succeeded in establishing an intellectually engaging visual artistic identity that was a unique synthesis of their rich historical lineage and a newly acquired knowledge studying abroad. In this path I tread, amalgamating a dichotomy of experiences in a visual mien informed by a rich artistic, cultural and religious heritage, my architectural background and a vibrant present appropriated by living in a world city buzzing with artistic stimuli, London. From Mesopotamia’s cylinder seals, Ishtar Gate and Hanging Gardens to Islam, across to Richard Serra’s Snake, Tony Craggs I’m Alive, Zaha Hadid’s commanding architecture and Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate not to mention his structurally wondrous Orbit (I loath!), I draw inspiration. The story I want to share is my challenge as an artist; a woman, a muslim and an Iraqi living outside the motherland.
