Ibrahim Rashid
Ibrahim Rashid (born 1957, Baghdad, Iraq) is an Iraqi-Swedish-Canadian multidisciplinary artist based between Toronto, Canada, and Malmö, Sweden. His practice spans painting, drawing, woodcut printmaking, video, and installation. He is among the 90 artists profiled in New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century, published by Thames & Hudson (2009), described as the most comprehensive scholarly survey of contemporary Arab art.[1] His work has been exhibited internationally including at the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, the Sharjah Biennial, and Darat al Funun in Amman.
Early Life and Education
Rashid was born in Baghdad in 1957 into a family with a political and literary background. In 1975 he joined Tariq al-Shaab ("People's Path"), Iraq's Marxist newspaper, where he worked alongside poets and writers. When the paper was banned and its contributors persecuted, he later worked with poets Shafiq al-Kamali and Hamid Saeed at Afaq Arabiya — one later assassinated, the other exiled.
He graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad in 1982. The Academy was the country's pre-eminent art institution, founded in part by Faiq Hassan (1914–1987), the pioneering figure of modern Iraqi painting who had studied at the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris and established the painting department on his return to Baghdad. Rashid studied under Hassan directly, as well as under the Polish professor Roman Artymowski, a central figure in modern Iraqi printmaking.
Rashid belongs to what has been described as the "eighties generation" of Iraqi artists — those who studied and exhibited in Baghdad during the 1980s under the conditions of war, censorship, and authoritarian control. During this period he worked as an illustrator for national magazines and newspapers. He served on the warfront during the Gulf War. He immigrated to Sweden in 1991, settling in Malmö with his partner, the artist Maha Mustafa. He relocated partly to Toronto in 2005.
In Sweden he expanded his practice through studies in Screen Printing (Malmö, 1999) and Digital Art in Public Space (Malmö, 1996).
Work
Rashid works across painting, drawing, woodcut printmaking, video, and installation. His work addresses exile, the erasure of cultural memory, ecological devastation, the human body under political systems, and the effects of war and authoritarianism. He also works as an art critic and writer.
His inclusion in New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century (Thames & Hudson, 2009) places him among 90 artists identified as key figures in contemporary Arab art by editors Hossein Amirsadeghi, Salwa Mikdadi, and Nada Shabout.[2]
Selected Works
Unknown Epic (1980)
An eight-metre woodcut panorama of mythological figures, produced during his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad. The work was removed by authorities within a day of being displayed. Five years later it received the Iraqi Art Critics First Prize.
Hamlet in Prehistoric Times: To Be or Not to Be! (1980)
A scenographic commission for the first Iraqi production of Hamlet, directed by Dr. Salah Al-Qasab. The immersive set transformed a 20 × 10 metre space — walls, ceiling, and floor — using spray-painted grain sacks from Baghdad's Shorjah markets, fusing Mesopotamian traditions, cave art, and cinema.
Landscape in Process (2005–2012)
A series of large-scale paintings installed in Santiago Calatrava's Turning Torso in Malmö — a 54-storey residential tower and architectural landmark of the city's Western Harbour district. Commissions were completed in 2005, 2006, and 2012.
Fragile Absolute Landscape (2004–2007)
A three-channel video installation projected simultaneously on three adjacent walls, 600 × 400 cm. First developed during a residency at Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan in 2004 — an artist residency programme run by the Khalid Shoman Foundation, one of the leading arts institutions in the Arab world. Subsequently shown at YYZ Artists' Outlet, Toronto (2006) and the 8th Sharjah Biennial, UAE (2007).[3]
Looking for Oxygen (2008–2012)
A video installation comprising a person in a swimming pool with a plastic bag over their head, displayed alongside an animation depicting the relationship between brain oxygen levels and bodily movement. The work was shown at Södertälje Konsthall (2008), Passagen Konsthall, Linköping (2009), ASpace Gallery, Toronto (2010), MAI Gallery, Montréal (2011), and the Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2012) as part of Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World, a survey of contemporary art from the Arab world featuring 34 artists from 10 countries.[4]
I Dive into the Well of My Body (2016)
A series of large-scale acrylic paintings on canvas, 200 × 160 cm, addressing identity, migration, and the effects of conflict on the human body.
Big Bang (2020–present)
A series of large-scale acrylic paintings begun during the COVID-19 pandemic. The works depict human, animal, and mechanical forms merged across time, drawing on myth, bodily fragility, and the legacy of war.
I Am Not a Heroic Fish (1982–2023)
A long-term series of ink drawings on paper begun during the Gulf War and continued over four decades. The works depict bodies, soldiers, and landscapes from the warfront, blending anthropomorphism and machinery to address the physical and psychological effects of conflict.
Resistance to Erasure (2025–2026)
A large-scale mixed-media exhibition using drawing, painting, collage, and woodcut printmaking. Shown at the Art Gallery of Burlington, Ontario, from November 2025 to February 2026.[5]
Public Commissions
- 2012 — Landscape in Process, large-scale mural, Eriksberg, Sweden
- 2011 — Poetic Moments, public art bench, Burlington, Canada (winning commission)
- 2006 — Landscape in Process II, Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden
- 2005 — Landscape in Process I, Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden
- 2003 — What About My Garden, Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden (winning commission)
- 2000 — Northern Landscapes II, City of Kiruna Hospital, Kiruna, Sweden
- 1999 — Process, Lomma Library, Lomma, Sweden
- 1996 — Music Rooms II, General Hospital, Malmö, Sweden (winning commission)
- 1994 — Music Rooms I, Municipality of Malmö, Sweden (winning commission)
Selected Exhibitions
Group
- 2025 — Art Gallery of Burlington, Ontario — Earth Fingers
- 2025 — 19th International Architecture Exhibition, Venice Biennale, Italy
- 2012 — Mori Art Museum, Tokyo — Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World[6]
- 2011 — KW|ag 5th Biennial, Kitchener, Canada — Monochromatic
- 2007 — Sharjah Biennial 8, UAE — Art, Ecology & The Politics of Change: Still Life[7]
- 2004 — Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan — Beyond 100°C
- 2001–2002 — Stroke of Genius, Brunei Gallery and Kufa Gallery, London; Faulconer Gallery, Iowa
- 1997 — Malmö Art Museum, Sweden
Solo
- 2027 — Ronneby Konsthall, Ronneby, Sweden — Art Endures Through Metaphor
- 2025–2026 — Art Gallery of Burlington, Ontario — Resistance to Erasure
- 2014 — Gallery Svalunda, Malmö — In Process
- 2011 — MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) Gallery, Montréal — Looking for Oxygen
- 2010 — ASpace Gallery, Toronto — A Moment Before You Close Your Eyes
- 2008 — Södertälje Konsthall, Sweden — Ground Zero
- 2007 — Trollhättan Konsthall, Sweden — Checkpoint X
- 2006 — YYZ Artists' Outlet, Toronto — The Fragile Absolute Landscape
- 2004 — Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan — Beyond 100°C
- 1998 — Barbacka Konsthall, Kristianstad, Sweden
Publications
- New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century, eds. Hossein Amirsadeghi, Salwa Mikdadi and Nada Shabout, Thames & Hudson, London, 2009. ISBN 978-0-500-97698-2[8]
- Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World, Mori Art Museum, Tokyo, 2012. ISBN 978-4-582-20670-8[9]
- Still Life: Art, Ecology & the Politics of Change, Part I, Sharjah Biennial 8, ed. Serene Huleileh, 2007. ISBN 9948-04-328-6[10]
- Checkpoint X, texts by Dan Jönsson and Clemens Altgård, Sweden, 2006. ISBN 91-631-6819-7
- Beyond 100°C, Darat al Funun — The Khalid Shoman Foundation, 2004
- YYZ Artists' Outlet exhibition publication, Toronto, 2007
Grants and Awards
- 2025 — Canada Council for the Arts, Arts Abroad — Venice Biennale, Canada
- 2024 — Toronto Arts Council, Creation Grant, Canada
- 2012 — Ontario Arts Council, Creation Grant, Canada
- 2011 — Iaspis, Swedish Arts Grants Committee International Programme, Sweden
- 2010 — Ontario Arts Council, Creation Grant, Canada
- 2007 — Canada Council for the Arts, Canada
- 2005 — Swedish National Council for Culture, Sweden
- 2005 — Copenhagen AMT and Skov Art Centre International Grant, Denmark
- 1987 — 5th Wasiti Biennale Painting Award, Baghdad, Iraq
- 1985 — Iraqi Art Critics First Prize, Baghdad, Iraq
References
- ↑ Hossein Amirsadeghi; Salwa Mikdadi; Nada Shabout, eds. (2009). New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-97698-2. Search this book on
- ↑ Hossein Amirsadeghi; Salwa Mikdadi; Nada Shabout, eds. (2009). New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-97698-2. Search this book on
- ↑ Still Life: Art, Ecology and the Politics of Change. Sharjah Art Foundation. 2007. ISBN 9948-04-328-6. Search this book on
- ↑ Kondo Kenichi; Yamamoto Kaoru (2012). Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World. Mori Art Museum. ISBN 978-4-582-20670-8. Search this book on
- ↑ "Community Generator Artist Talk: Ibrahim Rashid". Art Gallery of Burlington. Retrieved 2024. Check date values in:
|accessdate=(help) - ↑ Kondo Kenichi; Yamamoto Kaoru (2012). Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World. Mori Art Museum. ISBN 978-4-582-20670-8. Search this book on
- ↑ Still Life: Art, Ecology and the Politics of Change. Sharjah Art Foundation. 2007. ISBN 9948-04-328-6. Search this book on
- ↑ Hossein Amirsadeghi; Salwa Mikdadi; Nada Shabout, eds. (2009). New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century. Thames & Hudson. ISBN 978-0-500-97698-2. Search this book on
- ↑ Kondo Kenichi; Yamamoto Kaoru (2012). Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World. Mori Art Museum. ISBN 978-4-582-20670-8. Search this book on
- ↑ Still Life: Art, Ecology and the Politics of Change. Sharjah Art Foundation. 2007. ISBN 9948-04-328-6. Search this book on
External links
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