Iraqi-Kurdish artist Ismail Khayat leaves Lasting Impressions on SMA
- 23 Oct 2022
Muhammad Yusuf, Features Writer
Sheikh Salem Bin Abdulrahman Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Sharjah Ruler’s Office, has inaugurated the 12th edition of the annual Lasting Impressions exhibition series hosted by Sharjah Museums Authority (SMA). The show, which runs till November 27 at the Sharjah Art Museum, features the works of legendary Iraqi-Kurdish artist, Ismail Khayat.
The exhibition is co-curated by Alya Al-Mulla and Hayas Khayat. The event was opened in the presence of Amad Abdulhameed, Iraqi Consul General, Manal Ataya, SMA Director General, and the artist’s wife Gaziza Omer and his son Hayas Khayat.The exhibition aims to foster knowledge and increase public awareness of art. Lasting Impressions features prominent Arab artists who have contributed to the development of art in the Arab world and left an enduring mark.
The focus is on their prolific careers which have left an enduring impact on the art world and assisted the development and evolution of modern art particularly in the Arab world. Ismail Khayat — known as the Stone Man, the Picasso of Iraq and the Grandfather of Kurdish Art – was one of Iraq’s most prolific modernist artists, especially in Kurdistan.
With a career spanning nearly six decades, he initiated the Kurdistan Iraqi Art Movement and is an icon in Kurdish art circles. He is considered one of the founders of the Kurdish art scene. A former Director of Plastic Arts in the Ministry of Culture in Kurdistan, Khayat’s works are found in several art institutions, both regionally and internationally. His portfolio includes over 4,000 paintings and more than 3,000 stone paintings.
Born in 1944 in Khanaken, Kurdistan, Khayat found his inspirations in his surroundings, the pain of the Anfal episode, and Kurdish folklore and symbolism. The Anfal campaign was a counter-insurgency operation carried out in Iraq in 1988.He taught for more than 24 years, while being the supervisor of the art schools in Sulaymaniyah. He later joined the American University of Iraq, Sulaymaniyah (AUIS) as a lecturer.
His unique style, his Muse, along with his passion for teaching arts, are being explored in the SAM exhibition, which runs through the works of more than six decades of his art practice and the impact it had on the Kurdish art scene. The exhibition showcases over 130 artworks by Khayat, including ‘A Sad Face’, ‘Thoughts of a Person’, ‘Birds and Woman’ in Khayat’s Perspective, and ‘Kurdish People’. The artist has used a variety of techniques and mediums, including ink, watercolours, charcoal, coloured pencils, oil colours on paper, wood, stone, canvas, and fabrics.
Khayat combines Kurdish folklore and symbolism, and his artwork encodes ideas of collective struggle and political isolation. He is an inspirational figure among Kurdish intellectuals and artists, and often renders his works in a naive style. Birds and fish — which were plenty in the river that flowed where he lived — find much space in his works, as also the unavoidable subject of Woman.
He uses birds as metaphors for freedom and the fragility of life. Referencing Kurdish and Iraqi folklore, he investigates the progressive socio-political isolation of Iraq’s Kurdish population. Ataya said the exhibition is in line with the Emirate of Sharjah’s mission and that of SMA to introduce the public to the distinguished works of artists from the Arab region, and to “further promote the multi-faceted learning power of museums that inform and inspire creativity through unique experiences.”
“Khayat’s distinctive style plays a critical role in his ability to use his artistic expression as means to channel socio-political topics, whilst amplifying the importance of arts in self-expression and rallying communities to overcome challenges to the betterment of their societies,” she said. A panel discussion moderated by Khayat’s son introduced the audience (aged 18 and above) to his father’s life on October 8. During previous editions of the Lasting Impressions exhibition series — first launched in 2010 — works by other renowned artists were featured.
It included artwork by Baya Mahieddine, Abdulqader Al Rais, Najat Makki, George Bahgoury, Adam Henein, Noor Ali Rashid, Thuraya Al Baqsami, Ismail Shammout and Tamam Al-Akhal, among others. To instil the love of arts in the community, SMA is also organising a series of activities on the sidelines, including the ‘Patterns and Colours’ workshop targeting school students.
The activity includes a tour of the exhibition to inspire pupils, while they engage in designing and printing a colourful pattern on a bag. SMA’s Youth Programmes Department will teach youth aged 13 — 17 to create art pieces using wood burning techniques during its Pyrography (Wood Burning) workshop on November 13.
The Authority also organised several workshops targeting individuals with disabilities, including the ‘Monotype Print’ workshop which was for individuals with cognitive disability, autism and hearing disability aged 7 — 14. Participants learnt the technique by printing on different surfaces, such as glass and fabric, to create artwork. The activity was held on October 12.
The Art of Portrait workshop will be held on November 12, embracing individuals with hearing disabilities, where they can learn and apply techniques to carve expressive faces on clay.On November 14, SMA will also organise the Design Your House workshop, which is open to individuals with cognitive disability, autism and hearing disability aged 7 — 14. During the one-hour session, participants will learn how to design their house inspired by Iraqi architecture depicted in one of Khayat’s paintings, using recycled materials such as cardboard boxes.