Dia al-Azzawi (b. Baghdad, 1939) is
considered one of the Arab world’s most
influential living artists. Best-known for large
colourful paintings, his work embraces many
other media and draws on the visual heritage
of Iraq to reflect contemporary struggles and
collective concerns.
Azzawi spent his formative years in Baghdad,
immersed in its effervescent art scene and
actively shaping the direction of mid-century
Iraqi modernism. In 1969 he founded the
group known as ‘Towards a New Vision’ and
co-authored its manifesto, which called for
an exploration of the past to forge a relevant
artistic language for the present.
After moving to London in 1976, Iraq’s
cultural heritage acquired a fresh meaning,
prompting him to rediscover traditions like
Islamic illustrated manuscripts and to engage
with other creative practices. Poetry became
an inherent part of his work, providing not
only a creative stimulus but also a storehouse
of visual associations. This interest also gave
rise to a distinctive genre called dafatir
(Arabic plural for ‘notebooks’), where texts
and images merge to create a wholly new
form of artistic expression.
This exhibition, the first UK solo exhibition
dedicated to Dia al-Azzawi, celebrates
dafatir as a way into the practice and
inspiration of this influential modern master
