Detritus of Knowledge
Books, Mixed media on metal
48.43 × 59.06 × 98.43 in
2007
Within the aftermath of the 2003 war on Iraq, as we returned to the College of Fine Arts in Baghdad to resume our Master's studies, I was utterly shocked to find the college library completely burned to ashes. Every precious book educational references, scientific sources, invaluable knowledge had been reduced to mere detritus. Not a single book remained. This was the fate of most libraries across Iraqi universities, institutes, and colleges, leaving students deprived of essential academic resources.
In this artwork, I seek to revive that tragic moment through video art in an expressionistic style, allowing the audience to grasp the atrocity and devastation of this loss. The iron bookcase, shaped in its top view like cuneiform script, represents the hundreds of bookcases that fell victim to these distressing assaults. A melancholic relic of destruction, its shelves bear the invisible weight of thousands of books precious casualties of deliberate burning. This provocative scene compels us to reflect on the deeper implications of such aggression, urging us to consider both its causes and its far-reaching repercussions.
