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Lot Essay
Born in Baghdad in 1939, Dia al-Azzawi is widely recognised as a pioneering figure in modern Arab art. Trained as an archaeologist at the University of Baghdad and formerly Director of Antiquities at the National Museum of Iraq, al-Azzawi developed a deep engagement with Iraq’s ancient civilisations: Sumerian, Assyrian, and Babylonian. These cultural legacies would later become a wellspring of inspiration for his artistic practice, which blends contemporary techniques with historical forms and aesthetics, creating a unique visual language that bridges past and present.
Southern Poem is an homage to the culture and geography of southern Iraq. Painted in the 1970s, during a time when the artist was deeply immersed in visualising the poetry of the region, the work draws on sources ranging from the ancient verses of al-Mu‘allaqat to the politically charged poetry of contemporary figures like Muzaffer al-Nuwwab.
The South, marked geographically by an arrow above the central figure in the painting, was known for its distinctive sha‘bi dialect, often used in poetry to express grief, longing, love, and resistance. This language flowed like song and resonated deeply with the public. Al-Azzawi paints the figure of the South in his bold, recognisable style, drawing on the visual vocabulary of Sumerian figures, as he often does, this time, however, returning those ancient motifs to their original homeland. The figure appears mid-recitation, with words flowing from his mouth into darkness, reminiscent of the water channels that cut through the reeds and grasses of the famous marshlands of southern Iraq.
It is a powerful tribute to both the literary culture of the South and the fertile geography that shaped it, a land and dialect that have haunted and inspired many Iraqi poets, and one often considered the cradle of Iraq’s poetic tradition.
Al-Azzawi’s works have been widely exhibited and are held in major institutional collections around the world, including the British Museum, London; Tate Modern, London and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha. His career has been celebrated in retrospectives at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris (2002), and in a joint exhibition at Al Riwaq and Mathaf in Doha (2016). Today, his legacy continues to shape the trajectory of modern and contemporary art from the Arab world.
Southern Poem is an homage to the culture and geography of southern Iraq. Painted in the 1970s, during a time when the artist was deeply immersed in visualising the poetry of the region, the work draws on sources ranging from the ancient verses of al-Mu‘allaqat to the politically charged poetry of contemporary figures like Muzaffer al-Nuwwab.
The South, marked geographically by an arrow above the central figure in the painting, was known for its distinctive sha‘bi dialect, often used in poetry to express grief, longing, love, and resistance. This language flowed like song and resonated deeply with the public. Al-Azzawi paints the figure of the South in his bold, recognisable style, drawing on the visual vocabulary of Sumerian figures, as he often does, this time, however, returning those ancient motifs to their original homeland. The figure appears mid-recitation, with words flowing from his mouth into darkness, reminiscent of the water channels that cut through the reeds and grasses of the famous marshlands of southern Iraq.
It is a powerful tribute to both the literary culture of the South and the fertile geography that shaped it, a land and dialect that have haunted and inspired many Iraqi poets, and one often considered the cradle of Iraq’s poetic tradition.
Al-Azzawi’s works have been widely exhibited and are held in major institutional collections around the world, including the British Museum, London; Tate Modern, London and Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, Doha. His career has been celebrated in retrospectives at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris (2002), and in a joint exhibition at Al Riwaq and Mathaf in Doha (2016). Today, his legacy continues to shape the trajectory of modern and contemporary art from the Arab world.