In Baghdad, Under the Freedom Monument

Artist: Sadik Alfraji
Title: In Baghdad, Under the Freedom Monument
Year: 2013
Medium: Indian ink, charcoal, acrylic, rice paper canvas
Dimensions: 270 × 600 cm
Courtesy: The Samawi Collection

In Baghdad, Under the Freedom Monument, 2013

Courtesy of Ayyam Gallery

Sadik Alfraji

Sadik Kwaish Alfraji explores what he describes as ‘the problem of existence’ through drawings, paintings, video animations, art books, graphic art, and installations. The shadowy protagonist who often appears in Alfraji’s multimedia works represents a black void, a filter that allows him to explore the intricacies of life. By rendering his solitary character as a charcoal-coloured silhouette and minimising the formal properties of his compositions, Alfraji captures the expressed movements and subtle inflections of the body in psychologically laden environments. The artist often records his own narrative in black and white scenes of this recurring figure, particularly the loss, fragmentation, and lapses in time that underline exile.

● Patron

The Samawi Collection

Including over 3,000 works by modern and contemporary artists in a variety of mediums, The Samawi Collection traverses several schools and periods of Middle Eastern and international art. The collection spans a range of genres, from politically minded canvases to painting and sculpture that remain at the cutting-edge of global art with technologically driven approaches.