Readings of Iraq

This exhibition proposes a close look at Iraq beyond the usual images. Instead of repeating narratives centered on conflict, it brings the viewer closer to lived spaces, quiet routines, and forms of continuity that persist over time.

The images presented do not seek to dramatize or explain. They show fragments of cities, inhabited interiors, and signs of life that rarely enter dominant representations. The focus shifts from the extraordinary to what endures: what is built, adapted, and sustained.

This is not a neutral view. By avoiding a spectacular framing, the exhibition directly questions how Iraq has been seen from the outside. Each image becomes a point of tension between what is expected to be seen and what is actually present.

Developed in partnership with organizations working across Iraq and its diaspora—including Iraqi Al-Amal Association, Niqash, and Iraqi Observatory for Human Rights—the project is grounded in ongoing cultural and civic engagement.

Integrated into the international program of the Vasco Cabral Cultural Institute (VASCAR), the project establishes a dialogue between different contexts shaped by simplified external readings. As with Guinea-Bissau, it seeks to restore the complexity of local experiences and resist easy reductions.

Rather than offering fixed answers, the exhibition opens a space of confrontation with the viewer’s own gaze—inviting a reconsideration of how images are constructed, and who defines them.

The exhibition will take place in Vancouver at Contemporary Art Gallery, from June 12 to June 28, 2026.