Iraqi artist Dia Al Azzawi press preview exhibition which was held at Al Riwaq Gallery yesterday. (Pic: Baher Amin/ The Peninsula)
DOHA: A sculpture of Handala, a powerful symbol of Palestinian defiance and identity, serves as one of the major highlights of the vast oeuvre of globally acclaimed artist Dia Al Azzawi on display at his solo exhibition which opened yesterday at Al Riwaq Gallery.
Cast in bronze, the diminutive sculpture is a homage of Al Azzawi to his friend Palestinian cartoonist Naji Al Ali who was assassinated in London in 1987.
Al Ali created Handala, a cartoon character depicting a ten-year-old refugee turned away with hands behind his back signifying his refusal to go along with solutions to the region’s conflicts.
In this 2011 Al Azzawi rendition of the iconic character, viewers can see the boy’s entire form allowing a fresh interpretation of the figure which has already become a famous pop icon in the Arab world.
The sculpture is only one in the hundreds of Azzawi’s work on show at ‘I am the cry, who will give voice to me? * Dia al-Azzawi: A Retrospective (from 1963 until tomorrow)’ which is part of the twin expos which present an immense corpus of the artist’s work.
One of the biggest solo exhibition by an Arab artist, the show organised by Qatar Museum which runs until April 16 displays more than 500 of Azzawi’s work spanning over 50 years of his career.
Spread on over 9,000sqm, the expo shows the evolution of Azzawi’s work from throughout his long and distinguished career across a wide range of media including painting, sculpture, drawing, print and artist books, incorporating original and limited editions of artworks, some of which are on view for the first time.
Delving into the relationship between art and politics, the expo follows the artist’s engagement with the key moments in the political history of Iraq and the Arab world, particularly Palestine.
Mathaf Director Abdellah Karroum said Azzawi’s “work is in many ways a response to political and social change.”
“Through exhibitions such as this, we want to make art integral to daily life by bringing it to a wide range of local audiences and visitors to the country,” he added.
As part of the exhibition, collectors’ items inspired by Azzawi’s collection are on sale in QM retail outlets across Qatar.
These include a selection of silk scarves and a special limited edition collector’s piece, which is a replica of ‘Handala.’
Born in Baghdad in 1939, the London-based artist started his artistic career in 1964, after graduating from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad and completing a degree in archaeology from Baghdad University in 1962.
Some of his works are featured in Mathaf, the Museum of Islamic Art park and will soon be on display at Hamad International Airport, among others.
