.Seeking Refuge - Iraqi Artists in Jordan
Amman, Jordan] The sound of gunfire echoes in his head. The smell of gunpowder and flashing images of the dead haunt him like ghosts that can never be exorcised. He still hears the artillery pounding and the frightened children crying.
He could no longer bear to see his country plunged into the abyss of lawlessness.
When his paintbrush, and even his own fingers, would not obey his restless mind, Mohammad Mahredin, one of Iraq's pioneer contemporary artists, slowly and painfully abandoned hope of a sorrow-free Iraq and reluctantly decided to bid farewell to his country.
His creativity paralyzed, Mahredin, 68, was driven to Jordan by a burning desire to find a peaceful corner in which he could reconcile with his talent and tame his paintbrush in order to tell his side of the story of Iraq, which has become a synonym for tragedy.
"The Americans and British told us they came to establish democracy. We believed them and our hope of a better life increased. But when they arrived, they brought death and destruction," says Mahredin, as he flips through catalogues of his previous work.
After a long successful life in which he toured the world and won numerous international awards, Mahredin's only wish is to portray his vision of "the delinquent and tragic situation" in Iraq.
Still cutting a fine fugure, Mahredin says he wants to find a place to paint tears of widows and cries of orphans.
"I am not here to enjoy myself in the sun and eat nice food. I have a story to tell. I experienced the silky life in Iraq from the 1950s to the 1980s [but] lately saw the worst human images. I must tell everyone how and why it all happened."
A few months ago, Mahredin opened an exhibition in one of Amman’s prominent galleries under the theme of occupation and human rights abuse.
The emotional toll is evident in Mahredin’s frequent blank gazes, and his voice thickens when he describes tragedies and death scenes back home.
"The security situation in Iraq is unbearable. People are living a nightmare. Whoever leaves his house does not know if he will return alive. We are living in constant fear for our lives and the lives of the people we love," says Mahredin.
The suffering does not end with bombings and seemingly random killings, he says.
Citizens often complain of water shortages, irregular electricity power and lack of medicine.
"Animals would not accept living in the same conditions as Iraqis do. Although we have two great rivers, water is a rare commodity. Electricity and fuel are scarce as well. We fear for our lives when we are in the streets, and indoors we suffer continuously," he says, taking a sip of well-boiled Iraqi tea.
Mahredin is one of thousands of Iraqi intellectuals who fled their country. What began as random killings due to lawlessness after the collapse of Saddam regime became part of an organized campaign targeting the Iraqi elite.
Statistics show that around 150 professors across Iraq have been killed since the American invasion. Other professionals are also being targeted. Recent reports talk of around 330 school teachers, as well as scores of medical staff, being slain since the beginning of the war.
Many believe targeting professionals is part of a campaign to destroy the country's intellectual foundation.
"We do not know who is behind the killings. Some say the attackers come from outside Iraq, others blame the government. What I know is that a lot of my colleagues have been killed or kidnapped," says Mahredin.
The American-led invasion and the subsequent absence of security and stability have caused an alarming brain drain in Iraq, with highly qualified professionals fleeing in search of a better life. Many judges, doctors and engineers were killed, while the luckier ones ended up being kidnapped by militias and gangs, which demand hefty ransoms.
However, the current exodus is not the first in Iraq. In the early Nineties, due to the UN sanctions imposed on the Saddam regime, hundreds of thousands of professionals fled to Jordan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, as well as Europe and North America after they saw all their life savings evaporate due to the devaluation of the Iraqi dinar.
When Saddam's regime collapsed, it was believed that many Iraqis in exile would return to help rebuild their country. In fact, many professionals did return in the first few weeks of the war, but left again after the state of anarchy dominated life at home.
Many fleeing professionals sought refuge in Jordan before moving to a third country. However, many found themselves stranded after their attempts to immigrate failed.
Official figures show that Jordan is home to more than 600,000 Iraqis, the majority of whom live there illegally. They complain of tough immigration rules: Iraqis entering the country are given a three-month visa, and anyone who overstays his visa pays a fine of $2 a day. As a gesture of good will, Jordan occasionally grants amnesties to visa violators.
There are no official figures on the number of Iraqi artists living in Jordan, but it is believed that their number is near 100. Hundreds of others have passed through the kingdom on the way to a third country, mainly in Scandinavia.
Iraqi artists are known for contemporary art including painting and sculpture as well as Islamic classic painting and pottery.
Hashem Hanoun, 48, one of the most famous Iraqi artists in Jordan, says the kingdom provides artists with security, hospitality and an inspiring atmosphere.
He believes also that Iraqi artists in the diaspora are not isolated from their nation.
"I paint the picture of a whole Iraq. The pain of my people inspires my paintings, consciously and unconsciously. The taste of Iraqi culture and tradition can be easily sensed in contemporary artwork."
Hanoun focuses on earth colors to express solid roots and deep connection to his country.
Hanoun and Mahredin believe the Iraqi art movement will be enriched under the influence of tragedy.
"War and tragedy have given Iraqi artists a special characteristic which can be seen in the colors they use, the shapes and symbols of their paintings and sculptures," says Hanoun, surrounded by an array of his recent work.
In fact, 25 years of mental mayhem coupled with a great contemporary art history, dating back to the early 1900s, have propelled Iraq's art capabilities to the highest level compared to its Arab peers.
In the meantime, Jordan has greatly benefited from the influx of those artists.
"The exposure of Jordanian artists to our experience has helped them improve their techniques and approaches. It will be their turn to pass the knowledge onto the next generation," says Hanoun.
With little competition, Hanoun and other Iraqis have seen their popularity skyrocket. Their chef-d'oeuvres are being sold for thousands of dollars in the upmarket environs of Shmeisani and Abdoun.
Moreover, the Kingdom of Jordan has become a conduit for lovers of Iraqi art, with clients coming to Amman from the United States, Canada and Australia seeking authentic Iraqi artwork.
But not all Iraqi artists have it easy. With no source of income, some talented artists find themselves forced to go into the "commercial” paintings business.
Well-known artists sell their work to tourists in downtown Amman using pen names, says Serawan Baran, 36, an Iraqi Kurdish artist and former university professor in Baghdad.
"Famous Iraqi painters who could not find the means to sell their art at high levels copy famous international paintings and sell them for as little as $20."
The quality is great, but galleries in Amman refuse to put anything that is not authentic on display.
"These people have families to feed. They have no choice but to work in the dark. The commercial art is a natural result of war, like the death and destruction that drove artists out of their country."
The Media Line
He could no longer bear to see his country plunged into the abyss of lawlessness.
When his paintbrush, and even his own fingers, would not obey his restless mind, Mohammad Mahredin, one of Iraq's pioneer contemporary artists, slowly and painfully abandoned hope of a sorrow-free Iraq and reluctantly decided to bid farewell to his country.
His creativity paralyzed, Mahredin, 68, was driven to Jordan by a burning desire to find a peaceful corner in which he could reconcile with his talent and tame his paintbrush in order to tell his side of the story of Iraq, which has become a synonym for tragedy.
"The Americans and British told us they came to establish democracy. We believed them and our hope of a better life increased. But when they arrived, they brought death and destruction," says Mahredin, as he flips through catalogues of his previous work.
After a long successful life in which he toured the world and won numerous international awards, Mahredin's only wish is to portray his vision of "the delinquent and tragic situation" in Iraq.
Still cutting a fine fugure, Mahredin says he wants to find a place to paint tears of widows and cries of orphans.
"I am not here to enjoy myself in the sun and eat nice food. I have a story to tell. I experienced the silky life in Iraq from the 1950s to the 1980s [but] lately saw the worst human images. I must tell everyone how and why it all happened."
A few months ago, Mahredin opened an exhibition in one of Amman’s prominent galleries under the theme of occupation and human rights abuse.
The emotional toll is evident in Mahredin’s frequent blank gazes, and his voice thickens when he describes tragedies and death scenes back home.
"The security situation in Iraq is unbearable. People are living a nightmare. Whoever leaves his house does not know if he will return alive. We are living in constant fear for our lives and the lives of the people we love," says Mahredin.
The suffering does not end with bombings and seemingly random killings, he says.
Citizens often complain of water shortages, irregular electricity power and lack of medicine.
"Animals would not accept living in the same conditions as Iraqis do. Although we have two great rivers, water is a rare commodity. Electricity and fuel are scarce as well. We fear for our lives when we are in the streets, and indoors we suffer continuously," he says, taking a sip of well-boiled Iraqi tea.
Mahredin is one of thousands of Iraqi intellectuals who fled their country. What began as random killings due to lawlessness after the collapse of Saddam regime became part of an organized campaign targeting the Iraqi elite.
Statistics show that around 150 professors across Iraq have been killed since the American invasion. Other professionals are also being targeted. Recent reports talk of around 330 school teachers, as well as scores of medical staff, being slain since the beginning of the war.
Many believe targeting professionals is part of a campaign to destroy the country's intellectual foundation.
"We do not know who is behind the killings. Some say the attackers come from outside Iraq, others blame the government. What I know is that a lot of my colleagues have been killed or kidnapped," says Mahredin.
The American-led invasion and the subsequent absence of security and stability have caused an alarming brain drain in Iraq, with highly qualified professionals fleeing in search of a better life. Many judges, doctors and engineers were killed, while the luckier ones ended up being kidnapped by militias and gangs, which demand hefty ransoms.
However, the current exodus is not the first in Iraq. In the early Nineties, due to the UN sanctions imposed on the Saddam regime, hundreds of thousands of professionals fled to Jordan, Syria, the United Arab Emirates, as well as Europe and North America after they saw all their life savings evaporate due to the devaluation of the Iraqi dinar.
When Saddam's regime collapsed, it was believed that many Iraqis in exile would return to help rebuild their country. In fact, many professionals did return in the first few weeks of the war, but left again after the state of anarchy dominated life at home.
Many fleeing professionals sought refuge in Jordan before moving to a third country. However, many found themselves stranded after their attempts to immigrate failed.
Official figures show that Jordan is home to more than 600,000 Iraqis, the majority of whom live there illegally. They complain of tough immigration rules: Iraqis entering the country are given a three-month visa, and anyone who overstays his visa pays a fine of $2 a day. As a gesture of good will, Jordan occasionally grants amnesties to visa violators.
There are no official figures on the number of Iraqi artists living in Jordan, but it is believed that their number is near 100. Hundreds of others have passed through the kingdom on the way to a third country, mainly in Scandinavia.
Iraqi artists are known for contemporary art including painting and sculpture as well as Islamic classic painting and pottery.
Hashem Hanoun, 48, one of the most famous Iraqi artists in Jordan, says the kingdom provides artists with security, hospitality and an inspiring atmosphere.
He believes also that Iraqi artists in the diaspora are not isolated from their nation.
"I paint the picture of a whole Iraq. The pain of my people inspires my paintings, consciously and unconsciously. The taste of Iraqi culture and tradition can be easily sensed in contemporary artwork."
Hanoun focuses on earth colors to express solid roots and deep connection to his country.
Hanoun and Mahredin believe the Iraqi art movement will be enriched under the influence of tragedy.
"War and tragedy have given Iraqi artists a special characteristic which can be seen in the colors they use, the shapes and symbols of their paintings and sculptures," says Hanoun, surrounded by an array of his recent work.
In fact, 25 years of mental mayhem coupled with a great contemporary art history, dating back to the early 1900s, have propelled Iraq's art capabilities to the highest level compared to its Arab peers.
In the meantime, Jordan has greatly benefited from the influx of those artists.
"The exposure of Jordanian artists to our experience has helped them improve their techniques and approaches. It will be their turn to pass the knowledge onto the next generation," says Hanoun.
With little competition, Hanoun and other Iraqis have seen their popularity skyrocket. Their chef-d'oeuvres are being sold for thousands of dollars in the upmarket environs of Shmeisani and Abdoun.
Moreover, the Kingdom of Jordan has become a conduit for lovers of Iraqi art, with clients coming to Amman from the United States, Canada and Australia seeking authentic Iraqi artwork.
But not all Iraqi artists have it easy. With no source of income, some talented artists find themselves forced to go into the "commercial” paintings business.
Well-known artists sell their work to tourists in downtown Amman using pen names, says Serawan Baran, 36, an Iraqi Kurdish artist and former university professor in Baghdad.
"Famous Iraqi painters who could not find the means to sell their art at high levels copy famous international paintings and sell them for as little as $20."
The quality is great, but galleries in Amman refuse to put anything that is not authentic on display.
"These people have families to feed. They have no choice but to work in the dark. The commercial art is a natural result of war, like the death and destruction that drove artists out of their country."
The Media Line
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