'The most prominent Op artist in Iraq, perhaps in the whole Arab world.'Jabra I. Jabra, 1974
At Abu Dhabi Art we will have a special focus on the work of Iraqi modernist painter and printmaker Hashim Samarchi (b. 1939).
Described by Jabra I. Jabra as one of the most significant Optical artists from the Arab world, Hashim Samarchi graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad in 1966. He was then awarded a scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation in Portugal. From 1967-69 he lived and worked in Lisbon, producing experimental paintings and prints, which would lead him ultimately to his optical works of the 1970s.
He returned to Baghdad in 1969, whereupon he co-founded the ‘New Vision’ group with Dia Azzawi, Ismail Fattah, Saleh al-Jumaie, Muhammad Muhraddin and Rafa Nasiri. Following his return, he created posters, poetry books and various advertising materials, later working with the Iraqi Minitry of Information to design of the magazine Afaq Arabiyya. He exhibited extensively throughout the Middle East and participated in print biennales throughout Europe.
He moved to London in 1981 and worked for many years in the studio of Dia Azzawi, working only very infrequently on his own practice. In 2023 Grosvenor Gallery started working with Hashim and his family to archive and exhibit his work.
This will be the first time his work has been exhibited in the Middle East for several decades. The focus will be on his graphic print work from the late 1960s. We have produced a publication which accompanies our presentation, which features images of Samarchi's graphic work from the 1960s, along with photographs and images from his extensive archive, documenting his time in Baghdad and Lisbon.
To purchase a copy please visit our online store
