Desert city by Saad Twaij Oil on canvas 100 x 90 cm 2021 About the artist : Having left his native Iraq after decades marked by war, he settled in the UAE twenty six years ago, drawn by its growing standing as a cultural and artistic hub. For the first time in Dubai this exhibition will showcase earlier works by Twaij alongside a recent body of more abstract compositions from his memories. His paintings carry the visual recollection of Baghdad, but also of his many travels between Jordan, Oman, and Turkey. "I never sketch before painting. I start directly with images from my past and what I see every day, then I compose without thinking.” Twaij said. “Sometimes I look again at my paintings and feel the need to add more colors or structures.” Across the many imaginary cities that appear throughout the exhibition, Saad’s work reminds us that landscapes and societies are never fixed, but continually reshaped by time. While fascinated by architecture, history, and in particular the Babylonian and Assyrian civilizations, his practice remains firmly rooted in the present, articulated through a pictorial language that belongs to him.
