Janet Rady Fine Art is pleased to present ‘Rafa Al Nasiri | The Artist Books Exhibition’, in association with Art Concept Gallery, a solo exhibition showcasing works on paper, mixed media paintings, and handmade books by the late Iraqi artist, considered one of the leading modern artistic innovators in Iraq and the Arab world.
The exhibition presents a powerful survey of Rafa Al Nasiri’s work, tracing the artist’s lifelong engagement with poetry, memory, and resistance. Known for his emotionally resonant and visually layered practice, Al Nasiri brings together text and image in works that speak to personal and collective histories shaped by displacement, conflict, and cultural continuity.
Central to the exhibition are Al Nasiri’s artist books, where traditional Chinese book-making techniques—such as folding panels and silkscreen printing—are reimagined through the lens of Arabic visual culture. These intimate, tactile objects draw from his lived experiences across continents, from Baghdad to Beijing, Asilah to Granada, each location leaving a distinct mark on his artistic language.
In addition to autobiographical narratives, Al Nasiri’s artist books pay tribute to seminal literary figures whose words echo his own concerns. Homage to Al Mutanabbi honours the legacy of the 10th-century Iraqi poet Al-Mutanabbi, while also responding to the 2007 bombing of Baghdad’s Al-Mutanabbi Street—long revered as a centre of intellectual and literary life. Through these works, Al Nasiri affirms the enduring power of Arabic poetry as both cultural memory and resistance.
Rafa Al Nasiri’s painterly works on paper—featuring Arabic calligraphy, abstract forms, and hand-written verse—extend this dialogue between literature and image. They explore themes of love, war, exile, and the preservation of cultural memory with urgency and lyricism. His canvases, created in acrylic and mixed media, deepen this engagement through textured surfaces and collage, offering viewers a sensorial and contemplative experience.
Rafa Al Nasiri | The Artist Books Exhibition asserts the enduring power of Al Nasiri’s art as a site of reflection, resistance, and poetic resonance across shifting geographies and histories. The exhibition opens on Thursday, 3rd July, 2025 and continues until Thursday, 21st August, 2025 online.
