Compressing Dia al-Azzawi’s expansive oeuvre in a Mayfair gallery is no easy feat, considering his decades-long practice, informed by his training in archaeology and ethnography, with visuals that range from his interest in Pan-Arab identity and his more indigenous Iraqi identity. An acclaimed Iraqi modernist, this is Azzawi’s second exhibition in London, the city he calls home.

Works in this latest exhibition, ‘Dia al- Azzawi: Excursions Across Time’, some produced over more than half-a-century ago and some as recently as 2025, are rife with political statements. Azzawi’s practice has a rawness and urgency to it, one that confronts the viewer with how little has changed in the region he hails from in terms of struggle and how much has changed in terms of control and power.

The display at London’s Richard Saltoun Gallery is curated in three sections. The first presents his interest in Iraqi identity, the second his long-standing appreciation of and inspiration from Arab literature, and the third presents his engagement with Arab identity.

The works included are large and medium in scale — bold abstract paintings, sculptures in the form of a relief and obelisk, and small intimate monochrome drawings, one of which, a piece from 1966 titled Amulets: Ya Shafi Ya Kafi Ya Allah, is reminiscent of........

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