Diyar Al Asadi is a Baghdad-born Iraqi artist who re-imagines the opulent visual tradition of Islamic art’s golden era through his innovative, contemporary and often provocative renditions.
Diyar’s path from Baghdad to Phoenix is one that stretches over decade and half; three continents; a life-threatening and life-changi ng war; countless homes; and countless uncertain days and nights that mark the existence of any refugee. Despite all the adversities along his way,or maybe because of them,Diyar forms a very special bond with art and artistic expression – art becomes both his safety net but also his main tool to reach out,interact with and understand the world that surrounds him.
In 2012,Diyar moves to the United States after receiving a scholarship to the prominent Art Students League of New York,and today,he calls Phoenix his home,his community,where he paints highly intricate,large-scale works that can take up to 2,300 hours to create.He likes to combine techniques of traditional Islamic art to show which represent his origin, with newer techniques from contemporary art which indicate where he is right now in his artistic journey.
I love living in different countries and exploring local popular culture in my work. Everyday images are combined with text, and the ambiguity that this can lead to reflects the misunderstandings that sometimes arise when living in, or learning about, other countries and cultures. I enjoy layering and creating texture with a wide range of media, as well as challenging the concept of ‘high’ and ‘low’ art; traditional ways of mark making such as oil paint and etching are brought together in the same artwork with modern media such as spray paint and marker pen. I have exhibited in Europe, Asia and the Middle East and am currently artist in residence at the Fire Station, Doha