Salam Atta Sabri (b. 1953, Baghdad) is an artist who was based in the USA and Jordan for sixteen years, and in 2005 returned to his homeland, Iraq. His practice, which is primarily fantastical, colourful scenes executed in ink and colour pencils on paper, can be understood as visual diaries of his personal experiences and surroundings. Letters from Baghdad (2005-15) was first shown at the Iraq Pavilion, 56th Venice Biennale. Sabri’s collaboration with the Ruya Foundation led to commissions such as Date Palm Killing Fields series (2016), highlighting the destruction of Iraq’s date palm orchards. Sabri's art intricately weaves together Iraq’s modern art, ancient history, and his own narrative, addressing the nation's conflicts and transformations.
Salam Atta Sabri was one of the first artists commissioned for ITERARTE’s variations project. He holds a BFA in ceramics from California State University. His work is featured in the SMAK permanent collection as well as several private collections in the Middle East.
Salam Atta Sabri’s fantastical, colourful scenes usually executed in ink and colour pencils on paper have been translated into a hand-knotted wool rug as part of ITERARTE’s variations project. This version uses the traditional Tibetan methods of carpet-making, where the wool fibres are prepared before knots are individually hand-tied to single threads. The final steps are the washing, stretching, and trimming of the rug to produce the finished piece. Sabri’s signature geometric style in ‘Fantasy Series’ has been transposed into the thick textures of the wool rug, capturing Baghdad city streets with distorted shapes resembling faces and bricks.
THE CONFESSIONS QUESTIONNAIRE
Your name/nickname.
Salam.
Current mood in one word.
Phobia.
What is your favourite dish?
Tea or coffee?
Coffee.
Favourite place you’ve travelled to and why?
Hampstead, London, UK.
Favourite movie?
Favourite book or poem and why?
‘The Meaning of Art’ by Herbert Read.
Three unique things about where you live?
Heritage buildings, arabesque style in Bazar, old tiles of ceramics in mosques and old buildings.
A piece of advice you’d give to your younger self.
Do what you love to do, don’t wait, time is running fast.
How do you escape a creative block?
Have a Turkish coffee, then go to the balcony, take a break but not a long one.
Do you have a favourite colour?
Burnt (Siena).
Favourite art tool?
A pen, or wooden pencils.
Is your studio messy or tidy?
Messy.
Why did you become an artist?
Because it’s what I love to do.
What is the most challenging or exciting thing about being an artist?
From working on an art project, to then make it as an art show.
Craziest artistic experiment you've tried.
Making a Raku firing at midnight.
Funniest criticism you’ve received.
“Art is only oil and canvas”
Describe your style in three words.
Simple, Hard doing.
Most memorable artistic achievement.
to be chosen to participate in the Iraqi Pavilion at the Venice Biennale in 2015.
Dream collaboration (with someone dead or alive)
With my Father, Ata Sabri.
If you could exhibit anywhere, where would it be?
London, UK.
CAMERA ROLL
