Endless Tears in the Garden of Eden : Rushdi Anwar

Following his exhibition at Artes Mundi 10 in Wales, ‘Endless Tears in the Garden of Eden’ is anexhibition that explores Rushdi Anwar’s personal experiences, reflections, and memories as anindigenous member of Kurdistan-Iraq.

Three key subjects are central to this solo show. Firstly, the Sykes-Picot Agreement of 1916, acolonial document designed by Britain and France that senselessly divided this ‘Middle East’ intoa continuing oil-fuelled chaos. Secondly, the human agents that History debates and recalls as thechampions of Kurdish culture and its sovereignty, such as Hoshyar Byawelaiy, a Kurd committed tothe single-handed demining of Kurdish land today. Thirdly, the mimicry of colonial methodologiesof terror– from British poster propaganda to Saddam Hussein’s chemical attacks to ISIS brutality–alandscape, both human and non-human, suffering mass displacement and destruction thatcontinues to be ravaged by proxy wars and religious extremism today.

The sculptures, installations, sounds, and moving images in this exhibition investigate theseoccurrences, embracing such materials as hand-woven rugs, photographs and historical texts,hand-touched prints, filmic documentary, historical radio propaganda, and more.

The biblical ‘Garden of Eden’ continues to be mired in the deceit of humanity, for this paradise isclaimed to begin in the Tigris and Euphrates rivers basin of ancient Mesopotamia, in what today isunderstood as covering much of Kurdistan.