Rushdi Anwar
The Kingdom of Dust they Ruled by Stones
2023
Brass and iron steel TMT
260 x 100 x 250 cm
Rushdi Anwar draws upon his personal experiences as a Kurdish refugee and survivor of state violence to explore the profound effects of displacement and trauma caused by colonial and ideological regimes. Drawing inspiration from historical archives, the series ‘A Hope and Peace to End All Hope and Peace’ (2023-ongoing) explores the causes and consequences of the arbitrary divisions in West Asia. Rushdi’s multimedia installation incorporates sculpture, audio, archival photographs, maps and documents. The work expands on what the artist describes as the ‘farce of history’, connecting the past to present geopolitical conditions in the regions that we have come to refer to as the Arab world and the Middle East.