362 - Halim al Karim, Iraqi-Lebanese, (B. 1963)

Halim al Karim, Iraqi-Lebanese, (B. 1963) Untitled, Acrylic on canvas, 150cm x 150cm Halim al Karim was Born in Najaf, Iraq in 1963, spending his early years in Beirut, Lebanon. His Family returned to Iraq when Al Karim was nearly 10, settling in the city of Baghdad. As the first Gulf War erupted in the late 1980’s, Al Karim fled military inscription under Saddam Hussein by taking refuge in the southern Iraqi desert. He attributes his physical and emotional survival to an elderly Bedouin woman who brought him food and water, as well as educated him about mysticism and gypsy customs.He emerged from seclusion on occasion, refusing to disclose his whereabouts to his friends or family for fear of jeopardizing their or his own safety. This period had a profound effect on Al Karim, resulting in his everlasting commitments to self-discovery and the expression of his core beliefs through art. Halim Al Karim was nominated for the 2010 Sovereign Art Prize and was awarded the Jury Prize in the International Cairo Biennale in Egypt. He is one of the six artists whose work was featured in the Iraqi Pavilion at the 54th Venice Biennale – the first Iraqi Pavilion in 36 years. His work has been widely exhibited at venues such as the Saatchi Gallery, London, UK, The Venice Biennale, The ZKM Museum of Contemporary Art, Karlsruhe, Germany, XVA Gallery, Dubai, UAE, The Paul Klee Museum, Bern, Switzerland and The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art, Boulder, Colorado, and numerous exhibitions at Robischon Gallery, Denver, Colorado, USA. Al Karim’s work is also part of numerous public collections, including The American Embassy, Bagdad, Iraq, The Denver Art Museum, Colorado, USA, Saatchi Gallery, London, Victoria and Albert Museum, UK, The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum, Texas, USA, The Royal Association of Fine Arts, Jordan, Arab Museum of Contemporary Art, Doha, Qatar, and L’Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA), Paris, France, the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, and the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo.