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, 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 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.
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
2022
Artists Making Books Poetry To Politics, The British Museum, Bloomsbury, London, UK
2019
Theater of Operations The Gulf Wars 1991–2011, MoMA PS1, New York City, United States
2011
Art in Iraq Today: Part IV, Meem Gallery, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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
Press
Al Sabaah.pdf
BBCArabic.com.pdf
العراقي كريم رسن في ضيافة منتدى فكرة - جريدة الشرق.pdf
فاروق سلوم - كريم رسن _ الكرافيتيّه من اثر حرائق المدينه .. الى شيفرات المدن.pdf
Many faces of Baghdad.pdf
التجريد في فن الرسم العراقي .. - مركز النور.pdf
العراقي كريم رسن يستعيد ذاكرة المدن بلوحات تشكيلية - جريدة الشرق.pdf
تكريم الرؤية بذريعة دفتر رسم للفنان كريم رسن » صحيفة فنون الخليج.pdf
Kareem Risan_Art of emigration_The National_Press.pdf
يعرض اعماله في غاليري دار الاندى_ كريم رسن يؤكد أن »الزقورة« العراقية صارت مرجعية للفن التشكيلي العراقي.pdf
طباعة - كريم رسن_ جدران من المهجر.pdf
EUROPEAN - TURKMEN FRIENDSHIPS_ The Art of Kareem Risan and the Uranium Civilization.pdf
مقالات من مجلة العربي (حرائق بغداد) في أعمال كريم رسن.pdf
دفاتر الفنانين العراقيين.pdf
Gerten Basom, Amanda Dudnik, Majid Hashem, Milena Roglic and Kareem Risan Reconfigurations The Inc.pdf
IraqiArt.com - كريم رسن على «درب الآلام».pdf
Kareem Risan_Voices Education Project_Press.pdf
كريم رسن_ عراقي مغترب يجمع بين اتجاهات الفن المتعددة – جريدة الصباح الجديد.pdf
Al-watan.pdf
العراقي كريم رسن يستعيد في الدوحة ذاكرة المدن بلوحات تشكيلية الشارقة24.pdf
كريم رسن الفنان يجب أن يكون شاهد عصره – مجلة الشبكة العراقية,IMN Magazine.pdf
Kareem Risan_First solo exhibition at Meem Gallery on view in Dubai_Press.pdf
Kareem Risan_ Memory of Another City Arab Hyphen.pdf
KAREEM RISAN Artwork
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