BOATS AND BURDENS: KITES AND SHATTERED DREAMS
Maysaloun Faraj
25 Mar - 25 Jun 2009 London ayagallery
Tomorrow... My Heart will Heal Earthstone, velvet and acrylic 30x19x10cm 2008
For the women of Iraq who despite burden upon unprecedented burden stand tall, proud and resilient, like her precious date palms, nurturing like the sweet waters of Dijla and Furat. And for her children who will reclaim the skies with their imagination and the future with their dreams.
Hala Kites and Shattered Dreams Oil on canvas 80x100cm 2008
Boats and Burdens: Kites and Shattered Dreams is my fifteenth solo exhibition to date, the first after a long fifteen year break! My last was in 1995, just before I embarked on a life changing journey delving into the works of Iraq’s noteworthy artists; Strokes of Genius: Contemporary Iraqi Art, followed by the establishment of Aya Gallery which I co-founded in London with my husband the architect Ali Mousawi in 2002.
Golden Bird Earthstone, glaze and gold 24x20cm 2008
Having dedicated much of the past years promoting important others, I decided it was now due to focus on my own art, the outcome of which has been this exhibition. A culmination of three decades of sheer inspiration, creativity and intense artistic involvement Boats and Burdens: Kites and Shattered Dreams is a collection of paintings and ceramics, essentially in response to the war on Iraq, her land and her people.
Sarab Kites and Shattered Dreams Oil on canvas 90x110cm 2008
The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr Venetia Porter, curator of the Islamic and Modern Middle Eastern Art collections, British Museum and curator of the touring exhibition Word into Art (British Museum 2006, DIFC Dubai 2008).
Front cover of publication marking the exhibition Boats and Burdens: Kites and Shattered Dreams, with contributions from HRH Dr Wijdan al-Hashemi, Dr Ulrike al-Khamis, Sajid Rizvi and Rashad Selim.
Tomorrow... My Heart will Heal Earthstone, velvet and acrylic 30x19x10cm 2008
For the women of Iraq who despite burden upon unprecedented burden stand tall, proud and resilient, like her precious date palms, nurturing like the sweet waters of Dijla and Furat. And for her children who will reclaim the skies with their imagination and the future with their dreams.
Hala Kites and Shattered Dreams Oil on canvas 80x100cm 2008
Boats and Burdens: Kites and Shattered Dreams is my fifteenth solo exhibition to date, the first after a long fifteen year break! My last was in 1995, just before I embarked on a life changing journey delving into the works of Iraq’s noteworthy artists; Strokes of Genius: Contemporary Iraqi Art, followed by the establishment of Aya Gallery which I co-founded in London with my husband the architect Ali Mousawi in 2002.
Golden Bird Earthstone, glaze and gold 24x20cm 2008
Having dedicated much of the past years promoting important others, I decided it was now due to focus on my own art, the outcome of which has been this exhibition. A culmination of three decades of sheer inspiration, creativity and intense artistic involvement Boats and Burdens: Kites and Shattered Dreams is a collection of paintings and ceramics, essentially in response to the war on Iraq, her land and her people.
Sarab Kites and Shattered Dreams Oil on canvas 90x110cm 2008
The exhibition was inaugurated by Dr Venetia Porter, curator of the Islamic and Modern Middle Eastern Art collections, British Museum and curator of the touring exhibition Word into Art (British Museum 2006, DIFC Dubai 2008).
Front cover of publication marking the exhibition Boats and Burdens: Kites and Shattered Dreams, with contributions from HRH Dr Wijdan al-Hashemi, Dr Ulrike al-Khamis, Sajid Rizvi and Rashad Selim.