ARTIST'S STATEMENT

QAHTAN IBRAHIM; BFA, Diploma Graphic Design

As a young child, my earliest artistic inspirations came from my mother and grandmother. They told me

stories from thefolklore of my country, Iraq, and read books to me which contained colorful pictures of people, places,

and creatures, especially those about the sea. I had never seen such things before, or even imagined they existed. Later,

I was fascinated bytelevision documentaries about the sea, the animals that lived in the sea, and their fantastic range of colors.

 

Because I came from a hot, dry, inland environment, from my childhood days onward, I have always dreamed

of cool, colorfuloceans populated by magical fish, whales, and other sea creatures. Now an adult, I have never

stopped dreaming, and I amdriven to impart color, intensity, and form to my dreams. With my move to

North America, I have found escape from the desertsand conflicts of Iraq, and through my art, I am

now able to give expression and substance to the imaginary world of my inner soul.

MEMBERSHIPS:

• Iraqi association of artists.
• Iraqi association of visual arts.
• The Canadian Artists' Association
• The Khyber Institute of Contemporary Art
• Visual Arts Nova Scotia