Landscapes of Yearning

Going on now

Excerpt from the exhibition Landscapes of Yearning, with paintings from Iraq

Curator: Dr. Yehudit Erenberg

This exhibition features a selection of works by non-Jewish Iraqi artists.

The paintings were made between 1994 and 2010, which were pivotal years in the history of Iraq. During that time, the country had to contend with the dictatorial regime of Saddam Hussein, the aftermath of the two Gulf Wars and the subsequent overthrow of the despot. Nevertheless, this tumultuous period is not reflected in the paintings of these Iraqi artists.

Baghdad's urban landscapes are the main recurring theme in all the works.

These Iraqi painters celebrates the beauty of the Oriental city which embraces its residents intimately.

These paintings documents of a world that was quickly vanishing due to the wars and devastation.

The works offering us a tiny glimpse of the genre of urban landscape painting in Iraq in the contemporary period. This glimpse became possible after the Gulf Wars and the peace treaty with Jordan, which enabled access to a gallery in Amman where some of these works were purchased. Unfortunately, however, we still do not have unmediated access to artists, galleries and art museums in Iraq.