What was the most interesting quote of the lecture and why?
“I think all art is political”
Using three words, define the core of the artist's practice and artwork.
Virtual, Intense, Personal
What is the most interesting thing you learned about the artist that you did not know before?
I was not aware that he had been kicked out of Iraq and that he had been forced to stay in refugee camps before coming to the United States. On top of that he has been accused of being a terrorist by a mass of people in the U.S as well as being interrogated by the CIA for his work. His work “Dog of Iraqi?” and “Virtual Jihadi” received so much negative attention that both projects were shut down. Despite all the negative reactions he gets from the masses though, he is still willing to carry on with his work. Knowing this information makes his work even more compelling because he is so willing to get his message out there that he is willing to risk his life and sanity for it. As artists we are all about trying to convey messages no matter how small. Yet, I wonder how many of us would be willing to go through what he does in order to have our work seen.
Do you know the answer to your two original questions? If so, what are the answers?
My questions were not directly answered but from the information he gave the audience I can draw conclusions of my own.
1) Most of your work deals with the negative effects of the Iraq War on Iraqi citizens as well as Americans due to your direct affiliation with these two groups of people. Would you be interested in using your work to point out injustices in conflicts other than that which is going on in Iraq?
No, he focuses on Iraq because he has a personal connection to the country since he is from Iraq and his brother and father died over there due to the war.
2) Are you interested in using your body as a canvas again in future work?
Yes, he is willing to go whatever lengths he feels he must in order to convey his ideas. In different ways he has already used his body as a canvas besides the tattooing such as with his work “Domestic Tension” as well as allowing himself to be water boarded for his work “Dog or Iraqi”.
What image or artwork do you find the most compelling and powerful after hearing the artist describe it?
I find his work “…and counting” most compelling because he is so dedicated to his concept that he is willing to tattoo it on his back. It also sparked interest for me because I realized in the US we really do only focus on the American soldiers dying in conflict zones, yet we are shielded from the core of the violence and destruction the Iraqi people go through and don’t hear often of the Iraqi death toll.
Do you have any new questions in regards to the artist?
I am curious to know what his new project is especially after he commented that due to this project it will be very hard for him to fly in the future.
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