Ben Uri Research Unit

for the study and digital recording of the Jewish, Refugee and wide Immigrant contribution to British visual culture since 1900.


Dia Al-Azzawi artist

Dia al-Azzawi was born in 1939 in al-Fadhil, Baghdad, Iraq. He earned a BA in Archaeology from the University of Baghdad in 1962, and later a Diploma in Fine Art from the Institute of Fine Art, Baghdad in 1964. Following Saddam Hussein’s ascension to power in 1976, he immigrated to London where, as a pioneer of modern Arab art, he continued his career as a painter and sculptor, while also working as a editor and curator, culminating in a major retrospective at the Ashmolean Museum in Oxford in 2022-23.

Born: 1939 al-Fadhil, Baghdad, Iraq

Year of Migration to the UK: 1976

Other name/s: Dia Al-Azzawi


Biography

Painter and sculptor, Dia al-Azzawi was born in 1939 in al-Fadhil, a historic district in Baghdad, Iraq. The third of ten siblings, he grew up in a family where his father made a living as a city grocer. Al-Azzawi is considered one of the pioneers of modern Arab art and a member of the Hurufiyya movement. This initiative by Muslim artists in the mid-20th century merged traditional Islamic calligraphy with the principles of modern art, thus forging a unique visual language that became an expression of national identity during a period of anti-colonial resistance in Arab nations. In the 1950s, prior to immigrating to London, al-Azzawi collaborated with the Iraqi artist Faeq Hassan who was connected to The Pioneers, a Baghdadi arts group which sought to find a link between traditional and contemporary Iraqi art. During these formative years, al-Azzawi’s practice was shaped by the volatile history of his native country. He earned a BA in Archaeology from the University of Baghdad in 1962, and later a Diploma in Fine Art from the Institute of Fine Art, Baghdad in 1964, under the tutelage of the renown Iraqi artist Hafidh al-Droubi. During his art school years, al-Azzawi joined a local art collective known as the Impressionists. Although not greatly inclined towards impressionism as a form, the group’s emphasis on stylistic experimentation and local themes spurred al-Azzawi to explore Arab cultural history and mythology. Continuing his engagement in the Iraqi art scene, he affiliated with the Baghdad Modern Art Group. Amid Iraq’s political turmoil, al-Azzawi served as a military reservist (1966–73), witnessing numerous atrocities, an experience that instilled in him a mission to represent the voiceless through his art. He remained engaged with the arts community in Iraq even during the disintegration of avant-garde art collectives. In 1968, he established the seminal Iraqi art group, Al-Ru’yah al-Jadida (New Vision), co-signing its manifesto, ‘Towards a New Vision’, with Ismail Fatah Al Turk. This group promoted a liberated art style, urging artists to reflect their era and to derive inspiration from tradition and heritage. Al-Azzawi was also part of the One Dimension group, which critiqued the modern Arab art movement for excessive focus on European techniques and aesthetics. While still living in Iraq, he served as the Director of the Iraqi Antiquities Department in Baghdad (1968–76).

Following Saddam Hussein’s ascension to power in 1976, al-Azzawi immigrated to London. His debut solo exhibition was held at the Patrick Seale Gallery in 1978 and he met his first wife, the Swedish-born Shashten Finstrom, in the capital. The Gulf War’s devastation of Iraq in 1991 greatly distressed al-Azzawi, causing him to retreat into his home for months, channelling his emotions into art. This period of isolation resulted in the creation of the Balad Al Sawad (Country of Blackness) series, presenting intensely drawn figures embodying fear, sorrow, and distress. Al-Azzawi held several important organisational roles in the UK, including Artistic Director of the Iraqi Cultural Centre in London, where he curated several exhibitions. He was also the founding editor of Ur, an innovative journal published by the Iraqi Cultural Centre, served as the editor of Funoon Arabiyyah, and sat on the editorial board of the scholarly journal Mawakif.

Renowned for his vibrant and large-scale paintings, al-Azzawi’s oeuvre is wide-ranging and includes a category of artist books called ‘dafatir’ in Arabic, a mix of textual and visual elements which appear in diverse iterations, such as accordions, square and oblong booklets, cigar boxes, and other sculptural forms. However, they are not intended to be interpreted or engaged with in a conventional sense. Instead of providing illustrations for the embedded poetry, which typically originates from pre-Islamic traditions or is based on partnerships with modern poets, the paintings serve as independent, emotional reactions to the literary content. Al-Azzawi’s work honours Arab culture, while merging different art forms with new technologies.

With an artistic career spanning over 50 years, al-Azzawi's works have been exhibited worldwide, particularly in Europe and the Arab World. His work has been showcased in several retrospectives, including in Paris (2001), Abu Dhabi (2009), and Doha (2016–17). In 2021, the Tamayouz Excellence Award introduced a new award named in his honour, the Dia al-Azzawi Prize for Public Art. In 2022-23 Painting Poetry, a major retrospective, was held at the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford. Dia al-Azzawi lives and works in London. In the UK his artwork in held several public collections including the British Museum, Tate, and V&A, London.

Related books

  • Catherine David, Dia Al-Azzawi: a Retrospective: from 1963 until Tomorrow, (Milan: Silvana, Cinisello Balsamo, 2018)
  • Dia al- Azzawi et al, Dia Azzawi: My Broken Dream, (Dubai: Meem Editions, 2016)
  • Saphora Smith, 'Befriended by a King, Arrested, then Forced to Fight... Artist Dia Azzawi on the Destruction of His Beloved Iraq ', The Telegraph, 17 October 2016
  • Nada Shabout, 'Dia Azzawi: Ballads to Bilad al-Swad', Contemporary Practices: Visual Arts from the Middle East, Vol 16, 2015
  • Dia al- Azzawi et al, Art in Iraq Today (Milan: Skira, 2011)
  • Dia al- Azzawi, Retrospective (Dubai: Meem Editions, 2009)
  • Nada M. Shabout, Modern Arab Art: Formation of Arab Aesthetics (Gainesville: University Press of Florida, 2007)

Public collections

Related organisations

  • Baghdad Modern Art Group (affiliate)
  • Funoon Arabiyyah (editor)
  • Iraqi Cultural Centre, London (Director)
  • Mawakif (editorial board member)
  • New Vision (founder)
  • Ur (founding editor)

Related web links

Selected exhibitions

  • Painting Poetry, Ashmolean Museum, Oxford (2022-23)
  • Is it Morning for You yet?, Carnegie Museum of Art, Pittsburgh (2022–23)
  • Mission of Destruction, Meem Gallery, Dubai (2022)
  • The Lebanon Works, Meem Gallery, Dubai (2021)
  • Taking Shape: Abstraction from the Arab World, 1950s–1980s, Grey Art Gallery, New York (2020)
  • Theater of Operations: The Gulf Wars 1991–2011, Moma PS1, New York (2019–20)
  • Something Different II, Karim Gallery, Amman Governorate (2017)
  • Dia al-Azzawi at Abu Dhabi Art 2017, Abu Dhabi Art Manarat Al Saadiyat, Abu Dhabi (2017)
  • My Broken Dream, Meem Gallery, Dubai (2016–17)
  • I Am the Cry, Who Will Give Voice to Me? Dia Al-Azzawi: a Retrospective (from 1963 until Tomorrow), Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art , Al Rayyan (2016–17)
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Publications related to [Dia Al-Azzawi] in the Ben Uri Library