The Statue, 2022

Born in Baghdad, Mohammed Sami lived through the tumultuous period of violence that included Saddam Hussein’s regime, the Iraq–Iran conflict, and the US-led invasion of Iraq, before immigrating to Sweden in 2007 as a refugee and later settling in London. His paintings are poignant explorations of memory, trauma, and the lingering turmoil experienced after life-altering events. Imbued with the traces of human presence and lived experience, the artist’s compositions unfold as fragmented, cryptic vignettes that invoke obscure yet haunting narratives. In The Statue, a figure draped in white lies horizontally on a flat surface. The work may recall the infamous toppling of a Saddam Hussein statue in Baghdad in 2003, which circulated widely in the media, becoming symbolic of the victory of the American-led coalition. In Sami’s painting, the figure lies inert, in a state of repose or death, evoking a state of uncertainty.