How artists have examined the legacies of American-led military
engagement in Iraq
The 1991 Gulf War marked the start of a lengthy period of American-led
military involvement in Iraq that led to more than a decade of
sanctions, the 2003 Iraq War, and ongoing repercussions throughout the
region. Though the Iraq War officially ended in 2011, artists have
continued to examine these conflicts and their impacts. Theater of
Operations: The Gulf Wars 1991-2011 charts the effects of these wars on
cultural production in Iraq and throughout its diasporas, as well as
responses to the wars in the West, revealing how this period was defined
by unsettling intersections of spectacularized violence and new
imperialisms. The exhibition features more than 80 artists and
collectives, including Afifa Aleiby, Dia al-Azzawi, Thuraya al-Baqsami,
Paul Chan, Harun Farocki, Guerrilla Girls, Thomas Hirschhorn, Hiwa K,
Hanaa Malallah, Monira Al Qadiri, Nuha al-Radi and Ala Younis.
This catalog features newly commissioned essays by Zainab Bahrani, Rijin
Sahakian, Nada Shabout and McKenzie Wark alongside texts by exhibition
co-curators Peter Eleey and Ruba Katrib. Excerpts from period journals
by artist Nuha Al-Radi and anonymous blogger Riverbend detail life in
Iraq over two decades of war, sanctions and occupation. Reprinted essays
from Jean Baudrillard and Serge Daney provide additional context,
delving into the effects of the conflict upon media and visual culture.
