Iraqi artists strive for a better future in post-COVID era

BAGHDAD－Many Iraqi artists try to use their artistic creativity to raise public awareness against the scourge of the novel coronavirus, and inspire people with hope for a better future in the post-pandemic era.

Qasim Hamza, an artist and secretary of the Iraqi Plastics Artists Society, sat next to one of his ceramic works about coronavirus at a corner of the group's building, which seemed almost abandoned except for a few employees.

The Society's building has a unique design seemingly inspired by tents in the Arabian desert.

It was once a gathering place for prominent Iraqi artists and was crowded with visitors during hundreds of art galleries for decades since it was built in the middle of the last century.

Hamza is keen to communicate with people because he believes it is his duty to spread awareness among society members.

"The artist is usually affected by the events of society. He also has the duty to educate and influence society because there is an eternal connection between art and humanity,"Hamza said while preparing to explain a piece of his ceramic artwork about the pandemic.

Hamza tried to use a simple idea to easily reach the audience by embodying the virus and then placing it inside the red circle to symbolize the danger of the disease around the world.

It was a new opportunity for Hamza to reach people when the Iraqi Ministry of Culture inaugurated the 13th session of the al-Wasiti Festival of Fine Arts in late November in Baghdad.

The monthlong festival was very important as it is the first artistic event taking place with the gradual return of life after months of strict measures to contain COVID-19.

The festival was seen as an excellent opportunity for some 270 Iraqi artists to reach their audience by showcasing more than 300 works of paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and calligraphy.

Educational duty

One of the participants in the Ministry of Culture festival, Kadhim Shamhoud, an Iraqi artist in his 60s, said the artist has an educational duty to the world.

"As artists, our mission is to use our artistic tools to serve the society by conveying an educational message to the society about crises and pandemics, especially as coronavirus is sweeping the world," Shamhoud said.

It is part of the responsibility of the artist to change people's thoughts and feelings in the aftermath of the disease to prepare for the era that follows, Shamhoud added.

"Art is a universal message concerned with beauty, peace, love, cooperation that can be exploited to change the thoughts of society's members. The change must start from families, schools, and streets,"Shamhoud explained.

Zahraa Khalil, a 23-year-old female artist, believes it is necessary to prepare for a better future since the epidemic has turned life in all its details upside down and revealed the weakness of our world.

"My message for a better future is to start paying attention to family health, education, revive the spirit of cooperation and love among the peoples of the world instead of hatred, extremism, and conflicts,"Khalil said.

She believes changing the thoughts and feelings of communities "is an essential step in reshaping a new world that can take better care of human and nature issues instead of spending on weapons and wars."

"Hope is always there. Humanity has been hit with many diseases, such as tuberculosis, plague, and cholera, as well as wars that have destroyed entire countries. But the world has always been able to cope with adversity and get over them,"Hamza concluded.

Xinhua