CPTnet
July 15, 2003
IRAQ: Freeing artistic voices
by Peggy Gish
"The message of this piece of art is to declare the
intense need of Iraqi
artists to throw off the suppression we have
experienced for the last thirteen
years and to freely express what is in our hearts and
minds," explained
Safe, an energetic graduating student in the Baghdad
University College of
Fine Arts.
He was giving us a royal tour of the senior exhibition
pointed to an artistic arrangement which included an
acoustic bass resting on a chair, with an I/V bag
hooked up to it. "It symbolizes art coming back to
life!"
Raza, another graduating student brought out a number
of small pieces of
sculpture that she had made. One was a winged figure
with a hole in the
chest that she called, "Martyr of War." Works from
other artists dealing
with themes of war and peace included a painting with
olive leaves and
spent bullet shells applied on the canvas and
sculptures made with helmets,
guns and torn camouflage clothing.
All around the courtyard within the campus were large
statues past students had crafted and left on display.
Students were milling around in a spirit of
celebration for their accomplishments at the close of
the school year.
But among the statues were also ones which looters had
torn apart and broken after the U.S. invasion. We also
saw broken windows and doors.
But dreams were alive among these students. Raza hopes
to set up her own
studio and teach others. Safe hopes to set up his own
exhibition of his
paintings. These young artists long for a time when
their voices and images
can once more reflect and lift the soul of the Iraqi
people. Life has been
hard, and will continue to be hard for Iraqi artists
in this post-war time.
But they are fostering a passion and a hope, just
waiting for the right
time for it to spring forth and flourish.
_______________
To stop receiving messages from CPTNET on MennoLink,
send a message with
only the word, "suspend," in the body to
server@MennoLink.org.
Christian Peacemaker Teams is an initiative among
Mennonite and Church of the Brethren congregations and
Friends Meetings that supports violence reduction
efforts around the world. Contact CPT, POB 6508
Chicago, IL 60680; Telephone: 773-277-0253
Fax: 773-277-0291.
To receive news or discussion of CPT issues by e-mail,
fill out the form
found on our WEB page at
http://www.cpt.org/subscribe.php
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : Sat Aug 02 2003 - 22:28:35 EDT