Beirut: The Department of Fine Arts and Art History at the American University of Beirut (AUB), with support from AUB's Sheikh Zayed Chair for Arabic and Islamic Studies, hosted a public conversation with renowned artist Dia al-Azzawi. The event was organized on the occasion of the opening of Azzawi's show 'False Witnesses' at Saleh Barakat Gallery.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, Azzawi was joined by three interlocutors: Senior Lecturer in Art History at the University of Bristol Zeina Maasri, Regents Professor of Art History at the University of North Texas Nada Shabout, who is also visiting professor and senior investigator at al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art at NYU Abu Dhabi, and Assistant Professor at the American University of Beirut Saleem al-Bahloly, who also moderated the event.
The conversation opened with Azzawi's relationship to Beirut, which began in 1965 when Yusuf al-Khal, the owner of Gallery One, visited Azzawi's first exhibition in Baghdad and invited him to do what would be the first of four shows in the Lebanese capital. At that moment, Azzawi had just spent three months in prison following a coup by the Ba'ath Party in 1963 and resolved to leave Iraq. The opportunity to exhibit in Beirut opened a window to the broader world, leading to another show in Kuwait at Sultan Gallery, founded by Ghazi Sultan, which was pivotal in shaping the concept of Arab art.
The discussion continued with Azzawi describing his experiences in Arab art during the 1970s, starting with the New Vision manifesto. This manifesto marked a commitment to Arab art, aligning with the Palestinian liberation struggle. Azzawi's work in the al-Wasiti Festival, the Biennale of Arab Art in Baghdad and Rabat, and his curatorial role at the Iraqi Cultural Centre highlighted his focus on Palestine as a central theme. Azzawi emphasized that his work aimed to document events indirectly, serving as an indictment of the powers responsible.
Azzawi elaborated on his evolving relationship with heritage, situating his practice alongside other Arab artists. He detailed the origin of the daftar, or artist book, an art form influenced by Matisse's artist book, Jazz, and the history of manuscript illustration in Iraq. This art form emerged from Azzawi's response to the 1991 bombing of Baghdad and was introduced to younger Iraqi artists facing material shortages under the sanctions of the 1990s.
Azzawi also spoke about the works on display at Saleh Barakat Gallery. He explained that the title 'False Witnesses' refers to politicians, both American and Iraqi, who deceive for personal gain. The show drew significant inspiration from the October revolution in Iraq in 2019, where impoverished Shia protested for a better life and faced deadly consequences from affluent Shia.
The exhibition at Saleh Barakat Gallery includes charcoal drawings Azzawi created following a hospital bombing in Gaza, reflective of his emotional response. Azzawi acknowledged his ongoing struggle to determine his artistic response to the catastrophe, encompassing both the destruction of Gaza and the moral crisis in his country, as highlighted by diverse English protesters at demonstrations.
A full recording of the conversation will be available on YouTube soon.