Iraq 2017

The exhibition, “Archaic”, displays the work of eight Modern and contemporary Iraqi artists in dialogue with ancient Iraqi artefacts and includes a new commission by internationally acclaimed Belgian-born artist Francis Alÿs on the subject of war and the artist. The exhibition, curated by Tamara Chalabi and Paolo Colombo, interrogates the notion of the ‘archaic’, which has a dual meaning whereby it can simultaneously refer to an ancient cultural heritage and a fragile contemporary political entity. The exhibition draws out this duality and explores the opportunities and restrictions presented to artists in Iraq by the country’s momentous ancient inheritance.