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18 May 2009 15:51:39
A groundbreaking and powerful exhibition of Iraqi art will be the opening event of this year’s B:Fest, Luton Arts Festival.
Iraq – The Forgotten Story is a fascinating collection of visual art which promotes peace and understanding of the different cultures in Iraq whilst telling the forgotten or untold stories of the situations in the country through the eyes of local artists and photographers.
Launching the exhibition at the hat Factory in Luton will be one of Iraq’s foremost artists Ismail Khayat, affectionately known as the ‘grandfather’ of Kurdish Art and one of the few Kurdish artists who has had work displayed in the National Museum of Iraq.
His work reflects the horror of the conflict in his country but does not support either the pro or anti war debate. His work advocates peace and aims to break down barriers and put political and cultural allegiances aside.
Ismail was born in Khanaken, Kurdistan in 1944. He taught art for 24 years and became the curator for all arts activities in the region. He currently lives and works in Sulaymaniyah in Iraqi Kurdistan. His work has been exhibited across the world including New York, Paris, Russia and Sweden and can also be found hanging in private collections in Europe and Japan.
The exhibition is the work of 2 local artists Ben Hodson and Ian Rowlands, who decided that these were stories that needed to be told, after visiting Northern Iraq earlier this year to meet local artists and to raise awareness of the Pre-emptive Love Coalition, a charitable organisation helping thousands of Iraqi children who are waiting for life saving heart surgery.
“We run an organisation called ‘A Thin Place’, an international artist’s collective that uses the visual arts to bring people of different backgrounds and cultures together and to create a better insight and co-operation”, said Ben.
“We were inspired to see how art is being used to bring about a greater awareness of the complexities of the situations in the country and in doing so is helping to nurture respect and build bridges between communities. We are delighted to have brought this exhibition to Luton as part of B:Fest and hope that people of all ages and cultures will come along to see how art can build understanding, tolerance and peace.”
Iraq – The Forgotten Story runs from May 22 to June 12 at the hat Factory, Luton, 10am–4pm,. Admission is free.
For more details of this exhibition visit www.athinplace.org and for all the events at this year’s B:Fest visit www.lutonartsfestival.org.
Latest news» 2009» May» B:Fest's groundbreaking opening event
