Dalloul Art Foundation

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KAREEM RISAN KAREEM RISAN

KAREEM RISAN, Iraq (1960)

Bio

Kareem Risan was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1960. He graduated with a BA in Painting from the Academy of Fine Arts of Baghdad in 1988. Following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Risan witnessed part...

Kareem Risan was born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1960. He graduated with a BA in Painting from the Academy of Fine Arts of Baghdad in 1988. Following the US invasion of Iraq in 2003, Risan witnessed part of the war and eventually left his country and migrated first to Syria, then Canada. In his works, Risan addresses Iraq’s history of war and political turmoil.

Risan paintings convey the suffering and destruction of his country or narrate his journey of emigration, including self-portraits characterized by skeletal bodies and enlarged heads that can be interpreted as feeling exposed and hyper-aware of oneself.

Including figurations to his abstract canvases is a way to communicate the weight of the transforming experiences of exile and migration. Risan experiments in diverse media, dimensions, and textures, a means also to portray unstable events.

After he moved to Canada, his color palette became darker due to his new surroundings. Risan also documented several books that portray his experience with warfare and displacement. The artist still lives and works in Toronto, Canada.

This is a short biography. The full version , along with research, CV and sources will be posted soon. Stay tuned and visit us often or become a member to be notified of our updates.

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CV

Selected Solo Exhibitions

2019

The Votive Tablet, Al-Riwaq gallery, Manama, Bahrain

2015

Another City’s Memory, Al Markhiya Gallery with Katara Art Center, Doha, Qatar

2009

Gallerie Hittite, Toronto, Canada

2005

Al-Riawaq Gallery, Manama, Bahrain

2004

Dar Alanda Gallery, Amman, Jordan

2002

Hiwar Gallery, Baghdad, Iraq

1998

French Cultural Center, Baghdad, Iraq

1997

Dar Al Mashriq Gallery, Amman, Jordan

1996

Hiwar Gallery, Baghdad, Iraq

1994

Nadhar Gallery, Baghdad, Iraq

1992

National Museum, Baghdad, Iraq
Saddam Art Center, Baghdad, Iraq

Selected Group Exhibitions

2010

My Home Land, Art Sawa Gallery, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Beyond the War, LTMH Gallery, New York, United States of America
Art in Iraq Today: Part II, Meem Art Gallery, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

2009

Modernism and Iraq, Wallach Art Gallery, Columbia University, New York, United States of America
Iraqi Artists in Exile, Station Museum, Houston, Texas, United States of America

2007

Art Books: Exhibition for Modern Iraqi Artists, Art Books Center, New York, United States of America

2006

Iraqi Art, Montparnasse Museum, Paris, France
Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East, British Museum, London, United Kingdom
Art Books: Exhibition for Modern Iraqi Artists, Minnesota University Gallery, Minnesota, United states of America
Modern Iraqi Art, Montparnasse Museum, Paris, France

2005

Contemporary Iraqi Book Art, University of North Texas Gallery, Texas, United States of America
Seven Iraqi Artists, 4 Walls Gallery, Amman, Jordan
Iraqi Artists, East and West Foundation, Amsterdam, Netherlands

2004

Artists’ Books Exhibition: Ten Iraqi Artists, Frankfurt Exhibition International, Frankfurt, Germany

2003

Before. After. Now., Deluxe Gallery, London, United Kingdom
Five Contemporary Artists from Iraq, Green Art Gallery, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
The Broken Letter: Arab Contemporary Artists, Kunst Gallery, Darmstadt, Germany

2002

Seven Iraqi Artists, Albareh Art Gallery, Bahrain
Contemporary Perspectives for Arabic Art, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France

2001

Contemporary Iraqi Art, China International Museum, Beijing, China

2000

Contemporary Iraqi Art, Museum of Art, Tunisia, Tunis
Contemporary Iraqi Art, Museum of Modern Art, Caracas, Venezuela
Seven Iraqi Artists from the Embargo Generation, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France
Mesopotamia Exhibition, Darat Al Funun, Amman, Jordan

1999

Iraqi Graphic Exhibition, Darat Al Funun, Amman, Jordan
The 3rd Egyptian International Print Triennial, Cairo, Egypt

1998

Muhres International Exhibition, Tunisia, Tunis

1997

Four Iraqi Artists, Cultural House of Foreigners, Shambhala Art Gallery, Copenhagen, Denmark

1994

Chair Exhibition: Arabic Contemporary Artists, Darat Al Funun, Amman,

1993

Joint Exhibition, University of Nevada, Nevada, United States of America

1992

Muhres International Exhibition, Tunisi, Tunis

1988

Between the Tigris and Euphrates, Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France
The 3rdCairo International Biennial for Plastic Art, Cairo, Egypt

1986

Fredrik Shtad Graphic Biennial, Oslo, Norway

Collections

Ramzi and Saeda Dalloul Art Foundation, Beirut, Lebanon
Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha, Qatar
Darat Al Funun, Amman, Jordan
Kinda foundation, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates
The British Museum, London, United Kingdom

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Exhibitions
IRAQI ARTISTS IN EXILE
Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 1991–2011
A TRIBUTE TO RAFA NASIRI

KAREEM RISAN Artwork

Blue Man & White Dog

KAREEM RISAN, Iraq, 2014
120 x 120 cm

A Man from Inuit and Me

KAREEM RISAN, Iraq, 2014
150 x 150 cm

No One Hears Me

KAREEM RISAN, Iraq, 2014
120 x 120 cm

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