Iraqi painter
Nabil Ali
was born in Baghdad in 1980. He studied painting at the Institute and Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad and is now a professor in the Department of Art Education at Al-Mustansiriya University in Baghdad. He is one of the young artists whose works have recently become prominent, featuring symbols and vocabulary such as paper boats, wooden horses, steeds, and mermaids amidst the marshlands. A chessboard featuring corrupt politicians as its protagonists, Nabil is a dreamy artist who loves freedom and life. He has many works that immortalize young protesters in Iraq. Most recently, his paintings depict scenes from the coronavirus pandemic, depicting cats and dogs occupying city streets instead of people. He provided the Contemporary Art Visions page with a brief testimony about his artistic experience, which reads: "Through my work, I attempt to depict the suffering of humanity, especially the Iraqi individual, and to embody specific situations and events that directly affect their lives. I do so in an expressive manner, with multiple, intertwined lines that are powerful and emotional. As a visual artist, I have nothing but the raw materials, colors, and paper to express my rejection and protest against certain events, as well as to convey a specific message to the recipient. Repetition in features and other body parts gives them movement and continuity, and is also evidence of the dispersion, anxiety, and loss experienced by the individual as a result of the events that Iraq has experienced, from wars and terrorism to the lack of the most basic rights for a decent living. By drawing certain symbols, such as the paper boat, the Iraqi Airways logo, the horse, and the paper bird, I mean that the individual is trying to travel to a world where he finds stability, comfort, and reassurance."