Artists' Books as Political and Poetic Vessels at British Museum
The exhibition 'Artists making books: poetry to politics' at the British Museum in London showcases nearly 50 artists' books until 17 September 2023. Curated by Venetia Porter, it features contributions from Middle Eastern creators such as Dia Al-Azzawi, Shafic Abboud, Ghassan Ghaib, and Kamal Boullata. The display highlights the book's journey, starting with William Blake's 1789 work 'Songs of Innocence' and extending to early 20th-century Parisian collaborations. A significant aspect is the Iraqi 'dafatir' tradition, which developed during UN sanctions. Al-Azzawi’s pieces, including 'Adonis X' (1990), push artistic limits. Collaborations with Syrian poet Adonis are evident in works by Himat Mohammed Ali, Ziad Dalloul, and Boullata. Other notable works include Khalil Rabah's 'Dictionary work' (1997) and Issam Kourbaj's 'The Damascene Collar of the Dove' (2019).
Key facts
- Exhibition 'Artists making books: poetry to politics' at British Museum, London, until 17 September 2023.
- Curated by Venetia Porter, featuring nearly 50 artists' books from the museum's collection.
- Includes works by Middle Eastern artists: Dia Al-Azzawi, Shafic Abboud, Ghassan Ghaib, Kamal Boullata, Himat Mohammed Ali, Ziad Dalloul, Khalil Rabah, Kareem Risan, Issam Kourbaj.
- Traces origins to William Blake's 'Songs of Innocence and of Experience' (1789) and Parisian 'livre de peintre' tradition.
- André Derain's 1912 'Les Oeuvres Burlesques et Mystiques de Frère Matorel mort au couvent' is a key precursor.
- Iraqi 'dafatir' tradition emerged under UN sanctions due to material scarcity.
- Dia Al-Azzawi's 'Adonis X' (1990) and larger dafatir collection at Ashmolean Museum, Oxford until 11 June 2023.
- Poet Adonis (Ali Ahmad Said) collaborated with multiple artists featured in the exhibition.
- Khalil Rabah's 'Dictionary work' (1997) uses nails to highlight the definition of 'Philistine'.
- Issam Kourbaj's 'The Damascene Collar of the Dove' (2019) overlays Darwish's poetry on civil war images.
Entities
Artists
- Nalini Malani
- William Blake
- André Derain
- Shafic Abboud
- Ghassan Ghaib
- Dia Al-Azzawi
- Himat Mohammed Ali
- Ziad Dalloul
- Kamal Boullata
- Khalil Rabah
- Kareem Risan
- Issam Kourbaj
- Adonis (Ali Ahmad Said)
- Mahmoud Darwish
- Max Jacob
Institutions
- British Museum
- Ashmolean Museum
- United Nations Security Council
Locations
- London
- United Kingdom
- Paris
- France
- Iraq
- Oxford
- Iran
- Syria
- Palestine