WALID SITI THE RIVER ZEI
ROSE ISSA PROJECTS
WALID SITI THE RIVER ZEI
1 – 30 JULY 2011 TUESDAY TO SATURDAY, 1-6 PM In this solo show, Walid Siti exhibits a corpus of drawings and small-format sculptures that continue the theme of his current project at the “Wounded Water” exhibition in this year’s Pavillion of Iraq at the 54th Venice Biennale. Kurdistan’s powerful landscape is a recurrent theme in Siti’s work, reflecting the influence it has on the everyday life of the region’s inhabitants. Here, he focuses on the plight of the Great Zab river (“Zei” in Kurdish), which is one of the major tributaries of the Tigris. It rises near Lake Van in the mountains of Kurdistan and flows south for about 420 kilometres, snaking along in the most remarkable way, tortuously cutting through several gorges that join the Tigris near the ancient city of Nimrud below Mosul in Iraq. Though he has crossed the river several times, in 2010 he had the opportunity to see it from a totally different perspective - from the air. Siti says: “I saw that the River Zei forms a snaking, green body of water in a dry, golden landscape. Though beautiful, an aerial view reveals the skeletons of dry riverbeds and streams that once added to the Zei’s waters. I try to expose its fragility.” In elegant, muted colours and throbbing brush strokes, Siti shows how the romantic image of the river as a fundamental source of life raises questions about the impact of climate change, population growth, rapid development and repeated political tug-of-war in the region.
ROSE ISSA PROJECTS 269 KENSINGTON HIGH STREET LONDON W8 6NA T: 020 7602 7700 E: INFO@ROSEISSA.COM WWW.ROSEISSA.COM CONTEMPORARY ART FROM THE ARAB WORLD AND IRAN Cover image: The River Zei, 2011, acrylic & sand on paper, 56x76cm
The River Zei, 2011, acrylic on paper, 74x54cm
The River Zei, 2011, acrylic on paper, 74x54cm
The River Zei, 2011, acrylic on paper, 74x54cm
The River Zei, 2011, acrylic on paper, 54x74cm
Top: The River Zei, 2011, acrylic on paper, 54x74cm; Bottom: The River Zei, 2011, acrylic & sand on paper, 72x110cm
The River Zei, 2011, acrylic on canvas, 160x220cm
BIOGRAPHY Walid Siti was born in Duhok, Kurdistan-Iraq, in 1954, and now lives in London. He graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad in 1976, and from 1977-1982 studied at the Academy of Fine Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia, for a BA and MA in printmaking. He moved to London in 1984 and has since focused on painting. He has exhibited extensively in the UK and internationally, in Slovenia, Poland, Russia, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates. His most recent solo shows include “Walid Siti”, Merg Gallery, Erbil, Iraq (2011); “Walid Siti”, Duhok Gallery, Kurdistan-Iraq (2010) and Sardam Gallery, Suleimania, Iraq (2010); “Walid Siti”, XVA Gallery, Dubai (2009); “Land on Fire”, Rose Issa Projects at Leighton House Museum, London (2008); and “Walid Siti”, Salman’s Gallery, Duhok, Kurdistan-Iraq (2004); Arcola Gallery, London (2002); and Oriel Canfas, Cardiff (2001). Siti exhibited in the Iraq Pavillion at the 54th International Art Biennale, Venice (2011) and the 53rd International Art Exhibition, Venice (2009). He has also participated in numerous group shows worldwide, most recently “Taswir: Pictorial Mappings of Islam and Modernity”, Martin-Gropius-Bau Museum, Berlin (2009); “Babylon: Iraq’s Past Speaks to the Present”, the British Museum, London (2009); “Re-Orientations: Contemporary Arab Representations”, Rose Issa Projects at the European Parliament, Brussels (2008); “Space Now” at the Triangle Gallery, London (2008) and the 18th Istanbul International Art Fair (2008); “Occupied Space 08, Art for Palestine”, Qattan Foundation, London; and the travelling show “Word into Art” (Dubai, 2008 and The British Museum, London, 2006). His works also featured in group exhibitions at the Contemporary Arts Society, London (2004); The National Museum in Kracow, Poland (2003); The Historical Museum of The City of Vienna (2002); and Galerie De Boog, IJsselstein, The Netherlands (2000); the South Bank Centre, London (1991); Bluecoat Gallery, Liverpool; and Aberystwyth Arts Centre, Wales (1991). Before focussing on painting, Siti took part in several prestigious international print biennales, including Bangladesh, St Petersburg and Sharjah (all 2001); Taiwan (1999, 1997); Nurenberg, Germany (1995); Krakow, Poland (1994); Maastricht, Netherland (1993); and Ljubliana, Slovenia (1983). He also exhibited at the XIV Premio Internazionale Biella Per L’incisione, Biella, Italy (1999) and 10th International Exhibition of Graphic Art, Frechen, Germany (1996). Siti’s work is in the public collections of The British Museum, The Imperial War Museum, and Victoria & Albert Museum in London; The National Gallery of Amman, Jordan; and The World Bank and The Iraq Memory Foundation, both in Washington DC.
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