Forget about guilt (2022) and other works

Overview

Saddam Al Jumaily’s surreal compositions operate as metaphors of anxiety, loss and suffering, underscoring the ways in which the chaos of war in his native Iraq has destabilised time, meaning and belonging. His suite of recent paintings explore the uncertain relationship between past, present and future timescales against the backdrop of war, environmental degradation and technological evolution. Liquid (2017) and Music room (2017) manifest traumas and anxieties spilling over into the domestic sphere as conflict erodes the boundaries between inner and outer worlds. Forget about guilt (2022) shows a group of musicians playing traditional instruments in a garbage dump, whereas Unfair game (2022) depicts two lonely astronauts seemingly alienated from a casual gathering.