Dia Al Azzawi's Epic Elegy to my Trapped City Opening Night.mov

Meem Gallery is pleased to present an exhibition dedicated to Dia Al-Azzawi's mural-sized, epic painting Elegy to My Trapped City (2011, acrylic on canvas, 240 x 800 cm) this autumn. The work was first exhibited by the gallery in November 2011, during Abu Dhabi Art. Comprised of haunting composite monochrome forms, this work represents the post-2003 destruction of Iraq. The painting will be exhibited with five preparatory drawings by the artist (acrylic and china ink on paper mounted on canvas, 120 x 150 cm). As one of the more politically inclined artists of his generation, Azzawi has since the 1970s created works which address the issue of human suffering as a result of political instability. Azzawi's politically motivated works are often likened to Picasso's seminal painting Guernica (1937). The display of Elegy follows the recent unveiling of the artist's painting Sabra Shatilla at the Tate Modern in London.