Out of Iraq > The Iraq Pavilion at the 55th Venice Biennale

Jonathan Watkins at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, inside the Green Zone, Baghdad, Iraq, courtesy RUYA Foundation

The Ruya Foundation for Contemporary Art in Iraq (RUYA), commissioners of the official Iraq Pavilion at the 55th International Art Exhibition in Venice, are pleased to announce Curator Jonathan Watkins will present Out of Iraq, a group exhibition of works by contemporary Iraqi artists from June to November 2013 at the Palazzo Dandolo, Grand Canal,Venice.

The artists presented are all Iraqi artists resident in Iraq. Working across a wide range of media, including photography,drawing, painting, video, installation, sculpture, and textiles,they represent two generations of artists from across the country. Jonathan Watkins and Tamara Chalabi, Chairman of RUYA, worked with researchers and experts from within the country to find artists. They hosted educational events for groups of over 90 artists and visited studios in Baghdad, the province of Babylon, and Kurdistan in Northern Iraq. In February they will make a third trip to the country to meet artists in Basra in the South, before returningto Baghdad tomake a final selection.
 

Decades of repression, censorship and conflict have limited Iraq’s culture,but art is now re-emerging from within the country despite the difficulties artists face. There is an incredible diversity amongst artists now practicing in Iraq and this exhibition aims to give insight into this embryonic art scene by taking a small but significant step towards free cultural exchange between Iraq and the rest of the world.

The exhibition will be held at Palazzo Dandolo, a 16th century building that has not been used as a pavilion before during a Venice Biennale. The exhibition will insinuate Iraq into this first floor apartment, creating a salon atmosphere and interactive spacewhere visitors can sit, read and learnabout Iraqi culture and drink tea. The domestic atmosphere of the Palazzo will be retained to a large extent through the use of existing furniture and minimal imposition on current architectural features.

 

Explaining his curatorial approach, Jonathan Watkins says, “Artistic emphasis will be on the nature of everyday life as it is now lived in Iraq, exemplifying a determination ‘to make do and get by,’ an inventiveness borne out of necessity in extraordinary historical circumstances.’’

RUYA founding members Reem Kubba and Shwan Taha who headed the Patrons Committee for the last Iraq Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale will continue their involvement. A cataloguewill be published to coincide withthe openingof this exhibition.

About the Curator
An internationally renowned curator and writer, Jonathan Watkins has been Director of Ikon Gallery, Birmingham, since 1999. Previous positions include Curator of the Serpentine Gallery (1995-1997) and Director of Chisenhale Gallery (1990-1995). He has curated a number of significant international exhibitions including the Guangzhou Triennial (2012); Negotiations, Today Art Museum, Beijing (2010); Sharjah Biennial (2007); Shanghai Biennale (2006); Tate Triennial (2003); Facts of Life: Contemporary Japanese Art, Hayward Gallery, London (2001); Quotidiana, Castello di Rivoli, Turin (1999); and the Biennale of Sydney (1998). He was part of the curatorial team for Riwaq: Palestinian Biennial (2007); Milano Europa 2000, Palazzo di Triennale, Milan; and Europarte, Venice Biennale (1997).

About Ruya Foundation for Contemporary Culture in Iraq
Ruya Foundation for Contemporary Culture in Iraq (RUYA) is an Iraqi registered non-profit, nongovernmental organization founded by Iraq art and culture enthusiasts with the aim of aiding and enriching culture in Iraq and building bridges with the world. The foundation’s goal is to promote and foster culture in Iraq at a time when priorities are focused elsewhere, and to build a platform that will enable Iraqis in the arts, the young in particular, to benefit from, and participate in international events.

In addition to supporting local projects, its aim is to create a network of intercultural events that can contribute to the development of civil society in Iraq. It is also committed to nurturing a multicultural dialogue through the arts.