Artist’s Statement
I am an Iraqi American sculptor working primarily in bronze. I spent 28 years of my life in Iraq, left in 2007 due to the post-war terror, and have been living in the California Bay Area for 8 years now. While not by my choice, this drastic move has given me the opportunity to experience two quite different places and people as my home. In my work, I express the universal nature of human relationships with each other, while acknowledging the specific aspects of the places that shaped them, and that shaped me.
I use abstract figures in order to give these statues a universal quality. Frequently, these figures come in groups; they are couples or families, and I often let them share a body or link them physically. With this, I try to capture the universal constants that exist everywhere: family, romantic, love, friendship. My figures also reflect Iraq: They are often standing on their feet, but they are static without a sense of motion, to reflect the limitations I felt growing up in a dictatorship. The shape of the legs, shoulders, and arms in most of my figures is influenced by ancient Mesopotamian art. I feel that I am a continuation of these ancient artists.
I incorporate specific features of both places, Iraq and California, in the natural motifs, such as hills, rocks, and mountains, as well architectural elements from the urban landscape. The figures play in those shapes and establish relationships with their surroundings and each other. The recurring heart shape is taken from nature, specifically, the connection of two hilltops with each other. It stands not just for romantic love but for all love and life in general, between people and places. It’s a force that has kept me alive in difficult times.
If you are curious, feel free to review the resume below for more information on Misha’al.
Resume
Artist’s Statement
I am an Iraqi American sculptor working primarily in bronze. I spent 28 years of my life in Iraq, left in 2007 due to the post-war terror, and have been living in the California Bay Area for 8 years now. While not by my choice, this drastic move has given me the opportunity to experience two quite different places and people as my home. In my work, I express the universal nature of human relationships with each other, while acknowledging the specific aspects of the places that shaped them, and that shaped me.
I use abstract figures in order to give these statues a universal quality. Frequently, these figures come in groups; they are couples or families, and I often let them share a body or link them physically. With this, I try to capture the universal constants that exist everywhere: family, romantic, love, friendship. My figures also reflect Iraq: They are often standing on their feet, but they are static without a sense of motion, to reflect the limitations I felt growing up in a dictatorship. The shape of the legs, shoulders, and arms in most of my figures is influenced by ancient Mesopotamian art. I feel that I am a continuation of these ancient artists.
I incorporate specific features of both places, Iraq and California, in the natural motifs, such as hills, rocks, and mountains, as well architectural elements from the urban landscape. The figures play in those shapes and establish relationships with their surroundings and each other. The recurring heart shape is taken from nature, specifically, the connection of two hilltops with each other. It stands not just for romantic love but for all love and life in general, between people and places. It’s a force that has kept me alive in difficult times.
If you are curious, feel free to review the resume below for more information on Misha’al.
Resume