One of Iraq’s most influential modern artists, Dia al-Azzawi’s (b. 1939) multi-disciplinary work is defined by experimentation, freedom of expression and urgent political engagement. Born in Baghdad in 1939 and living and working in London since 1976, his career spans more than six decades and encompasses painting, sculpture, printmaking and dafātir (artist’s books) that redefine our experience of Arabic poetry. An active member of many artist collectives in the early part of his career, Azzawi was integral to the cultural development of Iraq during the 1960s and 70s.

Having initially studied archaeology before painting, Mesopotamian heritage features prominently in his work, along with themes drawn from ancient myth, Arabic literature and poetry. For the artist, migration is a condition of the Arab identity and storytelling, deployed through abstraction, a means to reflect on political upheaval. Azzawi’s paintings and drawings feature layered, semi-abstract forms, emboldened by brilliant, prismatic colour. Arabic text and symbols fuse and interweave through the compositions, often referencing the human figure, whether complete, fragmented or absent, traced by a dark shadow. Bold colour extends into the sculptures, in particular those set within boxes or in relief, which are executed in materials such as plaster, bronze, terracotta and marble and worked from maquettes sculpted directly by hand.

The vibrancy of Azzawi’s art is tempered, in part, by its themes, a reflection on the destruction of his homeland and on the wider conflict of the region. ‘I feel I am a witness’, he once remarked. ‘If I can give voice to somebody who has no voice, that is what I should do.’ Azzawi’s work has always focused on victims of violence and injustice within the Arab world, most notably the Palestinians, which are the focus of many works including the epic work on paper, Sabra and Shatila Massacre (1982-83) in the collection of the Tate Modern. His search for identity has defined his practice, first focusing on local, folkloric motifs from daily life in Iraq and later embracing literature as a unifying culture common across the Arabic-speaking world. In particular, his vast collection of dafātir are based on poems, which he sees as ‘the pillars’ of his practice, in a range of formats, some blurring the line with sculpture. Fusing calligraphic script with expressive mark making, they are intended to be viewed rather than ‘read’, drawing analogies to the centrality of poetry within Arab culture and to the aural experience of its recital.

Azzawi has exhibited extensively including solo exhibitions at the Ashmoleon Museum, Oxford (2022); Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and Al Riwaq, Doha (2016); Abu Dhabi Music and Arts Foundation (2009) and Institut du monde arabe, Paris (2001) as well as many group shows worldwide.