Self-taught painter stuns Basra art scene with debut gallery show

BASRA — Self-taught painter Yasmin Ahmed, known as “Umm Ahmed,” drew praise from veteran artists and critics during her debut exhibition at the Hamid Saeed Gallery, where 16 of her works were described as bold, imaginative, and stylistically distinct.

A housewife with no formal training, Umm Ahmed said she discovered her artistic voice about 15 years ago. “I’ve had a passion for drawing since childhood, but I truly discovered myself about 15 years ago and began producing works people say are good,” she told 964media. “I paint while doing my chores. Each piece takes me a day or two.”

Her work has been praised for evoking Cubism, Surrealism, and Expressionism — terms she said she was unfamiliar with until recently. “All my paintings come from imagination,” she said. “I didn’t learn the basics of drawing or art schools or any of those details. When I showed my paintings, people told me they belonged to Cubism and Surrealism. Honestly, I know nothing about those.”

The exhibition was her first, and she said the response gave her a significant morale boost. “Seeing the admiration from professional artists, who described my work as different, gave me a huge morale boost,” she said.

Veteran artist and gallery owner Hamid Saeed said Umm Ahmed’s style broke with academic conventions. “All artists compete to create a unique signature through academic study and practice,” he told 964media. “What’s different about Yasmin Ahmed is that she combined realism, expressionism, and Cubism in her own way, deconstructing and rebuilding to create a personal style.”

Saeed said her works stood out for their detail and originality. “Her works are thoughtful in detail, proportion, anatomy, and space, and the subjects are entirely original—not copied from photos or sketches.”

Artist Saba Majid said the exhibition showed that academic credentials are not a prerequisite for artistic excellence. “This level of craftsmanship shows that art is not limited to those with academic degrees. Many self-taught artists outperform trained ones,” she said.

Painter Ali Muhanna called the exhibition “a lesson for universities and academic institutions.”

“Art, before being academic, is a sincere need and a deep desire to express,” he said. “What Umm Ahmed presents is an honest language that draws from global influences — Cubism, Surrealism, Expressionism — but remains her own. Today, we are witnessing an Iraqi work that represents an act of creation.”