After decades of war and political instability, is Baghdad’s art scene seeing glimmers of a revival?
In Baghdad’s Tahrir Square—the site of violent anti-government demonstrations that began in 2019—bold, expressive, street art stands as a reminder that the Iraqi battle for a better life is not over.
But the conflict led to a significant brain drain from the region. “Thousands of artists and art teachers left after 2003 to live elsewhere in the region or abroad,” Henaa Malallah, a renowned Iraqi female artist, told Artnet News from London, where she now lives after fleeing her home in 2006. “It is a traumatized art scene.”There is little to no government support for artists or artist initiatives in today’s Baghdad.
A view of Tahrir Square from inside the building of the Turkish restaurant, which was taken over by revolutionaries, 2019. Ayman Al-Amiri.Yet even amid these woes, the light of Baghdad’s art scene—just like the beams that emanate from meticulously crafted and patterned minarets throughout the city—never went completely out. Iraqi artists and art professionals proudly assert that even during the worst of the war, the art scene was always active.
Ali Tariq, the organization’s executive director, told Artnet News that it has helped to restore 21 main squares in Baghdad since 2018 out of a sense of responsibility. “We have done a lot for culture and art over the past three to four years because there has not been much support for this community,” Tariq said.
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