EXHIBITION (July 8 - August 23, 2014) Walid Siti: RE-CONSTRUCTION

Walid Siti / Paths, 2013, acrylic on paper, 217x300x15 cm / Courtesy of EOA.PROJECTS and the Artist

"The balance of nature, the clash of confrontation is always black and white" - Walid Siti

A timely exhibition that comprises new large-scale paintings, works on paper and installations, expressing Siti’s reaction to the on-going process of transformation and ‘re-construction’ in the Middle East and in particular the artist’s homeland of Iraq; where a continuous struggle to create, destroy and rebuild defines a deeper and darker human endeavour to ‘build imaginary mountains’ and reach the top at any cost.

Pyramids, metaphorical mountains and ladders, continue to form essential parts of Siti’s visual vocabulary. Each of these forms has a powerful symbolic meaning, and their deconstruction in Siti’s work conveys the concept of a shift from their former position within a historical cultural tradition to a complex contemporary form. The ensuing transformation from order to disorder and vice versa defines this body of work. RE-CONSTRUCTION creates a visual metaphor for dislocation and disorientation, where new potential has been unleashed in a fragile and troubled landscape that is witnessing rapid social change and an uncertain future.

Walid Siti / Dialogue of Towers I, 2013, acrylic on canvas, 210x260 cm / Courtesy of EOA.PROJECTS and the Artist

Walid Siti / From the series 'The Seven Towers', 2014, acrylic, crayon on paper, 82x59 cm / Courtesy of EOA.PROJECTS and the Artist

Walid Siti / From the series 'Towers', 2014, crayon on paper, 76x56 cm / Courtesy of EOA.PROJECTS and the Artist

Walid Siti / From the series 'Towers', 2014, crayon on paper, 76x56 cm / Courtesy of EOA.PROJECTS and the Artist

Walid Siti / From the series 'Towers', 2014, crayon on paper, 76x56 cm / Courtesy of EOA.PROJECTS and the Artist

Walid Siti / From the series 'Towers', 2014, crayon on paper, 76x56 cm / Courtesy of EOA.PROJECTS and the Artist

Walid Siti / From the series 'Towers', 2014, crayon on paper, 76x56 cm / Courtesy of EOA.PROJECTS and the Artist

EOA.PROJECTS

Born out of the global success of Edge of Arabia, EOA.Projects (EOA.P) started in 2009 and was established in 2011 as a commercial gallery and artwork production house dedicated to supporting Middle Eastern artists in building long term, international careers. EOA.P has since established itself as a leading platform for contemporary art with a permanent London gallery and an international program focusing on Middle Eastern artists.

WALID SITI

Born in Duhok, Kurdistan-Iraq, in 1954. Lives and works in London. Siti graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad in 1976, and in 1982 from the Academy of Fine Arts, Ljubljana, Slovenia, with a BA and MA in Printmaking. He moved to London in 1984 and has since focused on painting. He has exhibited extensively in the UK and internationally, in Slovenia, Poland, Russia, Austria, Denmark, Germany, Italy, The Netherlands, Taiwan, and the United Arab Emirates. Siti’s work is in the public collections of The British Museum, The Imperial War Museum, and Victoria & Albert Museum in London; The National Gallery of Amman, Jordan; The World Bank and The Iraq Memory Foundation, both in Washington DC; Barjeel Art Foundation, UAE.