Mohammed Sami
“The power of invisibility has always been stronger for me than the power of visibility.”
Mohammed Sami approaches painting as an allegorical representation of the striking image of conflict and violence. His paintings explore belated memories triggered by common everyday objects from when he immigrated to Sweden as a refugee from his native Iraq.
Rather than using the stereotypical image of trauma to testify to the Iraq conflict, which he witnessed first-hand, Sami deploys painting to articulate war, memory, and loss obliquely.
Sami’s painting challenges the typical image of suffering and provides a symptomatic perspective of conflict dynamics and its effects through a slow personal reading. His autobiographical works aim to evoke a widespread sense of loss that inhabits cultures collectively when it extends selfishness into generosity.
Born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1984, Sami lives and works in London, UK.
➡️ Currently his work is shown in ‘The Point 0’ exhibition at Camden Art Centre, his first institutional solo show in the UK, until May 28, 2023. Sami is also featured in the 58th Carnegie International, on view until April 2, 2023.
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1. Mohammed Sami, The Parliament Room (detail), 2022, Scheinman Family Collection
2. Mohammed Sami, Joseph's Coat IV
3. Exhibition ‘The Point 0’ at Camden Art Centre
4. Exhibition ‘The Point 0’ at Camden Art Centre
5. Mohammed Sami, Refugee Camp II, 2019
6. The artist Mohammed Sami