MoMA PS1, Queens, New York
2019–2020
November 3, 2019–March 1, 2020 American-led military engagement in Iraq over the last thirty years has had an indelible impact on contemporary culture and the work of artists around the world. This large-scale group exhibition examines the legacies of these conflicts beginning with the Gulf War in 1991, featuring over three hundred works by more than eighty artists based in Iraq and its diasporas as well as those responding to the war from the West. While brief, the 1991 Gulf War marked the start of a prolonged conflict with Iraq that led to more than a decade of sanctions and the 2003 Iraq War. These wars and their aftermaths have devastated Iraq and its people, contributing to the destabilization of the broader Middle East. Conflict with Iraq has also become an enduring part of American life, influencing culture, politics, and identity. The artists in Theater of Operations were also impacted by significant cultural change during this period—including the advent of the 24-hour news cycle, the Internet, and new media and military technologies. The wide range of perspectives included in this exhibition attests to the rich artistic traditions of contemporary Iraq, with artists working under conditions of war, embargo, and occupation placed in conversation with those responding to these wars from afar. Francis Alÿs’ 2016 video, Color Matching, documents the hands of an artist as they chronicle the chromatic vistas of the war-torn city of Mosul, Iraq. The artist dapples his palette with blotches of taupe, burnt sienna, and muted greens—matching the dusty desert landscape and soldier uniforms. The artist mixes the pigments into a patchwork of soft, muted tones before wiping it all off with a rag, and the process begins again in an endless cycle. Learn more at MoMA PS1.