Conveying thousands of years of Iraqi heritage through the painted word.Byline: Megan Bainbridge Summary: Ali Abbas Hamadi's journey from Baghdad to Beirut and Beirut to Sydney has seen the artist bring his work back to Lebanon's capital for a month-long exhibition, appropriately called "From Baghdad/Beirut to Sydney." This show, whose Arabic title is "A donkey donkey: see ass. donkey or burro Descendant of the African wild ass that has been used as a beast of burden since 4000 BC. The average donkey stands about 40 in. (100 cm) high at the shoulder, but breeds range from 24 to 66 in. carries the city," is currently up at Hamra's Gallery Zamaan. Review BEIRUT: Ali Abbas Hamadi's journey from Baghdad to Beirut and Beirut to Sydney has seen the artist bring his work back to Lebanon's capital for a month-long exhibition, appropriately called "From Baghdad/Beirut to Sydney." This show, whose Arabic title is "A donkey carries the city," is currently up at Hamra's Gallery Zamaan. The work in this exhibition, Hamadi says, attempts to "rebuild personal stories about daily life through the formation of symbols." He focuses on the loads that ordinary people carry - like the beasts of burden of the exhibition's Arabic title - which represent an undue proportion of the "weight" of cities and villages. Yet, his works also portray por·tray tr.v. por·trayed, por·tray·ing, por·trays 1. To depict or represent pictorially; make a picture of. 2. To depict or describe in words. 3. To represent dramatically, as on the stage. a more optimistic op·ti·mist n. 1. One who usually expects a favorable outcome. 2. A believer in philosophical optimism. op vision for the future, as Hamadi attempts to capture, as he says, "the complexities of a sense of time past and a belief in hope in the future." Painting is "my journey to self-discovery, [in which] I find a sweet feeling of strength," says Hamadi. "It gives me pleasure." Following his emigration emigration: see immigration; migration. from Iraq in 2000, Hamadi recalls, he has "drawn comfort" from painting. He has also used the medium to express his deep attachment to his troubled homeland. After taking refuge in Beirut for a period of four years, he relocated re·lo·cate v. re·lo·cat·ed, re·lo·cat·ing, re·lo·cates v.tr. To move to or establish in a new place: relocated the business. v.intr. to Australia, where he now resides. Born in the southern Iraqi city of Nasiriyya, Hamadi graduated from the Baghdad Academy of Fine Arts in 1991. He has held group and solo exhibitions in Lebanon, Cuba and Iraq, and has participated in several Australian exhibitions, including 2005's "Songs of Traveling Birds: Iraqi Artists The following is a list of some important Iraqi artists:
exile, removal of a national from his or her country, or the civilized parts of it, for a long period of time or for life. ." "From Baghdad/Beirut to Sydney" is the artist's fourth exhibition at Gallery Zamaan since he first arrived in Beirut in 2000. Given the exhibition's title it is appropriate, perhaps, that the artist himself has not been able to accompany his artwork to Lebanon. He remains in Sydney, where he has lived since 2004. "This is a very daring exhibition," said Moussa Kobeissi, Gallery Zamaan's manager. "In my opinion, it is one of the most important exhibitions held in Beirut for 20 years." Hamadi is "very strong, technically," Kobeissi said, which allows him to create paintings that initially "appear naove, yet if you look deeper you will understand that the work is a piece of jewelry jewelry, personal adornments worn for ornament or utility, to show rank or wealth, or to follow superstitious custom or fashion. The most universal forms of jewelry are the necklace, bracelet, ring, pin, and earring. ." The striking color Hamadi uses in his canvasses dominates the gallery's two open-plan rooms. An eye-catching, orange-yellow hue radiates throughout the exhibition, while cooler blue and green tones provide relief among the strong colors. "I try to adopt a strong line, and use bright and powerful colors," Hamadi explains, adding that his use of warm colors reflects the effect of the heat of the Iraqi sun on his work. He feels this links his work with Australian Aboriginal art Australian Aboriginal art is art done by Australian Aborigines, covering art that pre-dates European colonisation as well as contemporary art by Aborigines based on traditional culture. , which also depends on strong, earthy earth·y adj. earth·i·er, earth·i·est 1. Of, consisting of, or resembling earth: an earthy smell. 2. Of or characteristic of this world; worldly. 3. colorings. The influence is also evident in the fact that several of Hamadi's pieces include imagery in common with indigenous Australian art ''' Indigenous Australian art is art produced by Indigenous Australians, covering works that pre-date European colonisation as well as contemporary art by Aboriginal Australians based on traditional culture. , particularly symbols that reflect meeting places within traditional pieces, which he says have influenced his work since leaving Iraq. Hamadi's deep attachment to his Arab heritage also seems to be reflected in his decision to include Arabic letters in the background of many of his paintings, letters that have no obvious connection to the subject in the foreground foreground - (Unix) On a time-sharing system, a task executing in foreground is one able to accept input from and return output to the user in contrast to one running in the background. . "I carry with me memories of my childhood, and thousands of years of ... civilization from my area in south Iraq," says Hamadi. His recollections of the region's smells and sand continue to influence his work today. The work contains "an awareness of place and its complications," Hamadi adds. It's a subject with which he is all too familiar. "From Beirut/Baghdad to Sydney" is up at Gallery Zamaan, Sadat Street, Hamra, until October 19. For more information, please call +961 1 745 571 Copyright 2008, The Daily Star. All rights reserved. Provided by Syndigate.info an Albawaba.com company |
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