From the Iraq war, an artist rises!

War, sarcasm, creativity and tragedy. These are few words that came to my mind when I was thinking about what I saw in the exhibition “Fragments” in Katara by the Iraqi artist Mahmoud Obaidi. The solo show focuses on the tragedy and the consequences of the Iraq war that started in 2003.

The artist used many mediums in his work, which mainly included; Installations, sculptures and mixed media. Despite the seriousness of the topic, Obaidi created more than one mood by mocking and criticize the foreign invaders. That can be seen in an artwork such as; “No Fly Zone”.

Among the elements that really stood out in the exhibition was the way the spaces connected to each other’s. Obadid creatively used a big rope to make a sequence and a narrative that takes the visitor from one artwork to another.

Another interesting element was the way the artist used symbols, mediums and words to convey his massage. Even the name of the exhibition could be interpreted in more than one way.

The exhibition started in October 18th and will continue until January 30th. It is located in Qatar Museums gallery. If you are a big art enthusiast or just passing by in Katara, I recommend taking a look at this exhibition.

Feel free to join Qatar Living's very own Qatar Artists Group. You will meet a lot of likeminded people there!