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Sadik Kwaish Alfraji
Born 1960 Baghdad, Iraq,
Work & lives in Netherlands.
Education
1996-2000 Graphic Design Diploma, Constantijn Huygens, Kampen, Netherlands.
1982-1987 BA, Plastic Art and Painting, Academy of Fine Arts, Baghdad, Iraq.
1977-1982 Plastic Art and Painting Diploma, Institute of Fine Arts, Baghdad, Iraq.
Selected Solo Exhibitions
2019 We Scream, But Nothing Changes, Naves Matadero–International Living Arts Centre, Madrid, Spain.
2019 The River That Was in the South, Ayyam Gallery, Dubai, UAE.
2018 Dark is the Tone of My History, Curated by Mayssa Fattouh, Casa Arabe, Madrid, Spain.
2017 Once Upon a Time, Hadiqat Al Umma, Maraya Art Center, (Curated by Laura Metzler & Dr. Alexandra MacGilp), Sarjah, UAE.
2017 Seasons of Lost Baghdad, Maraya Art Center, Ayyam Gallery booth, Art Dubai 2017, UAE.
2017 War Scraps At Lemvig Museum, Bunkermuseum, part of Meetings Symposium, Rom, Denmark.
2016 Ali’s Boat, Red Star Line Museum, (Curated by Niels Van Tomme), Antwerp, Belgium.
2016 A Dream Within A Dream, Tanit Gallery, Munich, Germany.
2015 Driven By Storms (The Notebooks), Ayyam Gallery, (Curated by Nat Muller), Beirut, Lebanon
2015 Driven By Storms (Ali’s Boat), Ayyam Gallery, (Curated by Nat Muller), Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE
2015 Ali’s Boat, Ayyam Gallery, London, UK.
2014 Biography of a Head, Beirut Exhibition Center, (Arranged by Mayssa Fattouh), Beirut, Lebanon.
2013 Godot to Come Yesterday, Ayyam Gallery, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
2013 I Do Not Feel That I Am Free, Ayyam Gallery, London, UK.
2011 Waiting for Godot, Ayyam Gallery, Damascus, Syria.
2011 Nothing, Nobody, Ayyam Gallery, DIFC, Dubai, UAE.
2010 An Introduction to the Philosophy of Freedom, Stadsgalerij, Amersfoort, Netherlands.
2010 For the Love of Zainab, Art Singel 100, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2009 For the Love of Zainab, Seasons Gallery, The Hague, Netherlands.
2009 A Cup of Coffee with Kafka, ‘t Hoogt, Utrecht, Netherlands.
2008 Born April 9th, Station Museum, Houston, Texas, USA.
2008 Dear Rilke we are all Travellers, Gallery Majke Husstege, 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
2008 Art Singel 100, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2007 Born April 9th, Stedelijk Museum 's-Hertogenbosch, 's-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands.
2007 Keeping Clear of Socrates, Seasons Gallery, The Hague, Netherlands.
2006 Human Miniatures, Gallery Witteveen, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2005 Papers of a Rational Being, 4 Walls Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
2004 Memories of a Golden City: Baghdad, Aya Gallery, London, UK.
2000 In Between Project, Cultural Centre Ter Dilft, Bornem, Belgium.
1999 Gallery Felix, Kampen, Netherlands.
1994 French Cultural Center, Amman, Jordan.
1993 Talisman, Baladna Gallery, Amman, Jordan.
1989 Miniatures Wood Cut, Al-Rawaq Gallery, Baghdad, Iraq.
1989 Artist Books: Enuma Elish, the Babylonian Creation Myth, Al-Rashid Theater Hall, Baghdad, Iraq.
Selected Group Exhibitions / Festivals
2019 Theater of Operations, The Gulf War 1991-2011, MoMA PS1, New York, USA.
2019 21st Contemporary Art Biennial Sesc_Videobrasil, São Paulo, Brazil.
2019 Contemporary Art, Asia, Australia and the Pacific, CCPLM, Centro Cultural La Moneda, Santiago, Chile.
2019 The 13th Cairo Biennale, palace of arts, Cairo, Egypt.
2018 9th Asia Pacific Triennial of Contemporary Art (APT9), Queensland Gallery of Modern Art (QAGOMA), Brisbane, Australia.
2018 Contemporary Photography from the Arab World, American University Museum, Katzen Center, curated by Janet Bellotto and Woodman Taylor, Washington, USA.
2017 Archaic, The Iraq Pavilion at the 57th International Art Exhibition – La Biennale di Venezia.
2017 Meetings Symposium, Video- og performancefestival, Lemvig, Denmark.
2017 Between Two Round of Fire, The Exile of The Sea, drawn from the Barjeel Art Foundation, (Curated by Karim Sultan), Katzen Art Center, American University Museum, Washington, USA.
2016 Imperfect Chronology: Mapping the Contemporary II, drawn from the Barjeel Art Foundation, (Curated by Omar Kholeif), Whitechapel Gallery, London.
2015 Who said tomorrow doesn’t exist?, TRIO Biennial, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
2015 Autonomy of Self: Rejecting violence with the lens in former Ottoman territories, P21 Gallery, London, UK.
2015 From the figurative to the abstract – modern art from the Arab World, British Museum, London, UK.
2015 Screening, Ali’s Boat, Disappearing Cities of the Arab World, British Museum, London, UK.
2015 Eye of the Thunderstorm: Effervescent Practices from the Arab World, 56th Venice Biennale, Venice, Italy.
2015 View From Inside: Contemporary Arab Photography, Video and Mixed Media Art, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
2015 aide-mémoire, Maraya Art Centre – Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE.
2015 Islamic Art Now: Contemporary Art of the Middle East, LACMA, Los Angeles, California, USA.
2014 The Future Yesterday, Aspen Art Museum, Aspen, Colorado, USA.
2014 Fluid Forms II, Samsung Blue Square, Seoul, South Korea; Busan Museum of Art, Busan, South Korea (Curator: Yu Yeon Kim).
2014 View from Inside, 15th FotoFest Biennale, Houston, Texas, USA (Curator: Karin Adrian von Roques).
2014 Contemporary Uprising: Art from the Middle East, Nest Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland.
2013 R-Evolution, Ayyam Gallery, Al Quoz, Dubai, UAE.
2013 25 Years of Arab Creativity, Abu Dhabi Festival in partnership with Institut du Monde Arabe, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
2013 UNITEXT, 9th Kaunas Biennial, M. K. Ciurlionis National Museum of Art, Kaunas, Lithuania.
2012 Screening, Bienal de la Imagen en Movimiento, Centro Cultural General San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
2012 25 Years of Arab Creativity, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France (Curator: Ehab El Labban).
2012 Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan (Curator: Nanjo Fumio and Kondo Kenichi).
2011 International Festival of Contemporary Art, Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, Algiers, Algeria.
2010 Told / Untold / Retold, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar (Curators: Sam Bardaouil and Till Fellrath).
2008 12 Tekenaars, Gallery Witteveen, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2008 Old Friends & New Faces, Seasons Gallery, The Hague, Netherlands.
2008 New Salon: Identity has a Face with No Features, CBKU & Central Museum, Utrecht, Netherlands (Curator: Robbert Roos).
2007 8th International Biennial of Engraving, Premio Acqui, Acqui Terme, Italy.
2007 Rabbit and House, Seoul International Book Arts Fair, Seoul, South Korea (Curator: Kestutis Vasiliunas).
2007 Rabbit and House, Leipzig Book Fair, Leipzig, Germany (Curator: Kestutis Vasiliunas).
2006 Intervisie IV, Seasons Gallery, The Hague, Netherlands.
2006 International Book-Art Project, Artetica, Roma, Italy.
2006 Rabbit and House, 4th International Artist's Book Triennial, ARKA Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania (Curator: Kestutis Vasiliunas).
2006 Vers van de Pers, Utrecht Graphic Atelier, Utrecht, Netherlands.
2005 Power in Print, Southern Graphics Council International, Washington D.C., USA.
2005 Daftar: Contemporary Iraqi Book Art, University of North Texas Art Gallery, Houston, Texas, USA.
2005 4th International Biennial of Contemporary Graphic Arts, Novosibirsk State Art Museum, Novosibirsk, Russia.
2005 5th International Mini - Print Biennial Cluj, Cluj-Napoca Art Museum, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
2005 4th LESSEDRA World Art Print Annual - Mini Print, Lessedra Art Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria.
2005 Galerie Covalenco, Geldrop, Netherlands.
2005 Best of Inkt, Inkt Gallery, The Hague, Netherlands.
2004 The Iowa Biennial of Contemporary Miniature Prints, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa, USA.
2004 1st International Collage Exhibition, Kaire Desine Gallery, Vilnius, Lithuania.
2004 26th International Hollfeld Art Exhibition, Hollfeld Museum, Hollfeld Germany.
2004 3rd LESSEDRA World Art Print Annual - Mini Print, Lessedra Art Gallery, Sofia, Bulgaria.
2004 Op Format, Inkt Gallery, The Hague, Netherlands.
2003 Expressions of Hope, Aya Gallery, London, UK.
2001 Inkt Graphic Calendar, Inkt Gallery, The Hague, Netherlands- The Outside of the Inside, Manege St. Petersburg Art Hall, St. Petersburg, Russia.
2000 Op Format, Inkt Gallery, The Hague, Netherlands.
2000 Strokes of Genius, The Brunei Gallery, London, UK.
2000 In Between Project, Cultural Centre Ter Dilft, Bornem, Belgium.
1999 Utrecht Graphic Atelier, Utrecht, Netherlands.
1999 Graphic Atelier, Kampen, Netherlands.
1999 Op Format, Inkt Gallery, The Hague, Netherlands.
1998 Gallery Felix, Kampen, Netherlands.
1997 Utrecht Graphic Atelier, Utrecht, Netherlands.
1996 Musée Les Metiers De Mercure, Rochefort, France.
1993 Darat Al Funun, Amman, Jordan.
1988 Baghdad International Festival of Arts, Art Center, Baghdad, Iraq.
1987 Al Wasiti Festival, Art Center, Baghdad, Iraq.
1987 17th International Biennial Graphic Art, Ljubljana, Yugoslavia.
1986 8th Norwegian International Print Biennial, Fredrikstad, Norway.
1985 Contemporary Iraqi Graphic Art, Al Orfali Gallery, Baghdad, Iraq.
1985 5th Seoul International Miniature Prints Biennial, Seoul, South Korea.
Selected Collections
- Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, UAE.
- The British Museum, London, UK.
- The Cluj-Napoca Art Museum, Cluj-Napoca, Romania.
- French Cultural Centre, Amman, Jordan.
- Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman, Jordan.
- The Khalid Shoman Foundation, Amman, Jordan.
- LACMA, Los Angeles, California, USA.
- Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar.
- Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas, USA.
- The National Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad, Iraq.
- Novosibirsk State Art Museum, Novosibirdk, Russia.
- The Samawi Collection, Dubai, UAE.
- Art Center, Baghdad, Iraq.
Selected Presentations
2017 Artist Talk, Once Upon a Time, Hadiqat Al Umma, in conversation with Mandy Merzaban.
2016 Symposium, Time, site & lore, hosted by ET4U, Lemvig Museum, Denmark.
2015 Symposium, hosted by Photography and The Archive Research Centre, chaired by Max Houghton, The Swedenborg Society Hall, London, UK.
2015 Artist Talk, Driven By Storms (Ali’s Boat), in conversation with Venetia Porter, Ayyam Gallery, London, UK.
2015 Artist Talk, Driven By Storms (Ali’s Boat), in conversation with Nat Muller, Ayyam Gallery, Dubai, UAE.
2014 First Ali’s Boat papers, the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, Bellagio, Italy.
2011 Artist Talk, The House that My Father Built, AIGA Design Conference, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
2010 Panel Discussion, “On Artists and Curators’ Discourse”, Encounters between the Modern & the Contemporary: In Conversation with Artists from 'Interventions' and 'Told/Untold/Retold', moderated by Sam Bardaouil, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar.
Filmography
2018 The River That Was in the South, (5:05 minutes).
2017 Once Upon A Time, Hadiqat Al Umma, 9 video channel installation (08:10 minutes).
2017 I Am the Hunter, I Am the Prey (04:37 minutes).
2017 War Scraps At Lemvig Museum, (08:14 minutes).
2016 Seasons of Lost Baghdad, (23:15 minutes).
2015 Ali’s Boat (06:37 minutes).
2015 Flying over Baghdad (05:28 minutes).
2015 A Letter (05:04 minutes).
2014 Biography of a Head (23:15 minutes).
2013 Godot to Come Yesterday (13 minutes).
2012 Sisyphus Goes on Demonstration (3 minutes, loop).
2011 The House that My Father Built one video channel installation (6:12 minutes).
2009 Seven Days in Baghdad (23 minutes).
2007 Born April 9th (06:20 minutes, loop).
2005 An Introduction to the Philosophy of Freedom (Basic Notes) (14:34 minutes).
Awards
2017 The 13th Cairo Biennale prize, Cairo, Egypt.
2015 Grant, Driven By Storms (Ali’s Boat), Mondriaan Fund, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
2014 The Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center, Bellagio Italy.
2012 Artist of the Year at the Esquire Middle East Awards. Dubai, UAE.
Selected Residencies and Workshops
2018 L'appartement 22, Rabat, Morocco.
2017 The Rockefeller Foundation, Bellagio Center Residency, Bellagio, Italy.
2017 Workshop, Moving stories: three journeys: The Great Court, British Museum, London, UK.
2011 Workshop, My First Animation, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar.
2011 Workshop, My Father, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar.
Publications
2015 Sadik Kwaish Alfraji, Edited by Nat Muller, Schilt Publishing, Amsterdam, Netherlands.
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© Sadik Kwaish Alfraji