artBahrain.org

FALUN. DALARNAS museum is pleased to present Modhir Ahmed: 35 Years Retrospective, the first large-scale multi-medium retrospective exhibition to explore the work of the critically acclaimed Iraq-Swedish artist. Defying classification, Modhir Ahmed (1956) - the printmaker, painter, and creator of installations was hailed for his work in the early 90s to date - is the subject of an upcoming retrospective opening at Dalarnas museum from January 21 through May 9, 2012, organized by curator Anne Seppänen.

This exhibition incorporating over 100 works will offer an extensive survey of unseen and major works that have developed 'icon status' covering the 35 years of his artistic journey, starting as a student in Iraq in the 70s; his early arrival at abstraction in Poland during the 80s; and the range of his media as a professional in Sweden from the 90s when he first gained international recognition for representing Iraq and Sweden with flying colours in international graphic competitions.

Occupying three rooms of the museum in chronological order, Modhir Ahmed: 35 Years Retrospective presents an unparalleled opportunity to study the artist's elaborate involvement with printmaking which led to a refined mastery of mixed media paintings - original works on paper - further translated in three-dimension installations and sculptures. The exhibition will also explore the artist’s striking self-portraits created in the 80s, which points to the significance of figuration throughout the artist’s works, and the aesthetic practices that guided his decisions and his oeuvre as a whole.

Unfolding three and a half decades of the artist's works on canvas and paper that have not been seen in Sweden in the years since they were made; early academic works that have never been seen at all; and rare sculptures of ordinary household objects such as "The Walking Stick" and "The Shovel" will also be shown for the first time. An exceptional number of Modhir Ahmed's award-winning artworks and installation will be on display with the artist's book, "Vecka nr.II, 2007" based on excerpts from Galleriet by Swedish poet Tomas Transtromer, 2011 Nobel Prize for Literature.

From Scandinavia to Poland and from Egypt to France and China - for Iraq, Sweden and the Arab world, his prints, paintings and drawings has been cited with numerous awards. His fine art pieces hang in museums in Europe and in private collections of art connoisseurs in Europe, the Middle East and the United States. Modhir Ahmed: 35 Years Retrospective is just a glimpse of the artist’s collective experience and his long resolutely focused career.

Catalogue
In lavish full colour documentation, the catalogue includes individual essays by the co-curators and images representing nearly every type of work Modhir Ahmed made, in both technique and subject matter including paintings, sculptures, drawings, and prints.

About the artist
Modhir Ahmed was born on March 14, 1956, in Baghdad, Iraq. His artistic journey began right after graduating from the Institute of Fine Arts, Baghdad in 1979 and following his dream; he continued his studies at the Academy of Fine Arts-Warsaw, Poland. During this critical time in his artistic development, he produced paintings, prints and drawings which he exhibited regularly. Although he was already making a name in the international graphic art scene, he deliberately avoided easy classification and refused to be recognised solely for his efforts in any one medium. Modhir's first solo exhibition in Warsaw was held at Gallery Promocyjna in 1983 to be followed by other shows. At the peak of the Polish solidarity, he moved to Sweden where he painted with a new optimism and energy. The 1990s proved to be a vitally important chapter in his career for it was the time that he attained true freedom which resulted in some of his most powerful artworks. Once again, he took part in important international art exhibitions and competitions and this time, as an Iraqi-Swedish artist winning prestigious awards for both Iraq and Sweden. His celebrated artwork is an integration of geometry, gesture, and figures that are deliberately crude and childlike. They imply a spontaneous and instantaneous event - a result of deployed innovative techniques in a sustained and consistent evolution. Modhir Ahmed lives in Falun, Sweden and has been working as director of Falu Konstgrafiska Verkstad since 1992.