Baghdad panel examines intersection of art and environmental awareness

BAGHDAD — The Al-Mada Foundation for Culture and Arts, in cooperation with the Goethe-Institut, held a panel titled “Can art reshape our relationship with the environment?” on Baghdad’s Mutanabbi Street.

The session, moderated by researcher and academic Moataz Enad, featured artist Dr. Aqeel Khuraif of Al-Mustansiriya University, who discussed his art using discarded materials.

Speaking to 964media, Khuraif said his work emerged from concern over rising waste in Iraq after 2003, describing the country as having become “a consumer society,” with hundreds of factories inactive and widespread reliance on imported goods. “It’s as if the place we live in has turned into a landfill,” he said, citing the absence of effective recycling.

Khuraif creates artworks from waste, including a series called “Maps of Ruin” using shoe remnants to depict “ISIS faces.”

The Islamic State, which declared a so-called caliphate in 2014, was expelled from Iraq in 2017. Although ISIS remnants continue to threaten security in remote areas of Iraq and neighboring countries.

He said, “This art exists globally. Some artists document incidents through artistic expression. I’m one of many who worry about the growing waste problem in Iraq.”

Khuraif added, “The viewer is often surprised to see materials in artwork that they associate with the landfill. That surprise generates engagement.”

He noted his students’ strong belief in this form of art and teaching methods, expressing satisfaction with their enthusiasm.

Over the past three years, Khuraif collaborated with the Goethe-Institut to organize environmental art workshops involving students from various governorates. “In a time when someone from Mosul couldn’t reach someone from Basra, and someone from Ramadi couldn’t reach Baghdad or Tikrit, the institute brought together samples from each governorate in Baghdad and Erbil,” he said. “The results were meaningful, especially as students learned about each other’s local traditions.”

Session moderator Enad told 964media, “The connection between art and the environment is crucial. Globally, nations are moving toward sustainability, and art plays a role in presenting that concept attractively.”

He described the session as “distinguished,” noting particularly strong engagement from younger attendees.

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