The Document of Darkness

Othman Kader Ahmed -Born in 1962, in Sulaymaniyah. -Graduated from the Institute of Fine Arts in Sulaymaniyah, 1980-1985. -Master’s Degree in the Department of Drawing in 2007, his studies related to reciting his personal memories during Anfal in 1988 in the University of Arts in London-Britain. -He obtained his Ph.D. in the same university, and his studies related to documenting the memories of the survivors of the Kurdish Genocide/Anfal in 1988 through drawings, and those artists who have toiled against war and the misfortunes of war. Solo and Collective Exhibitions: - Participated in various exhibitions in 1977 with the youths and the Kurdistan Artist Syndicate and the festivals and the Institue of Fine Arts. - Opened many solo exhibitions inside the country and abroad. - After the Anfal in 1988, for the first time, he supervised various collective and solo exhibitions to acquaint Anfal and the Chemical Bombardment of Halabja in the cities of Iran, particularly in Tehran, Qazvin, Sine, and Saqqez. In addition to private art projects commemorating war and the misfortunes of war in 1989 for the children of Halabja and a number of Kurdish artists. - In light of enrichening the experience and making the artwork academic, the artist was able to alter his artworks into a good reason to spreading awareness amidst foreigners who were oblivious to the Kurdish Genocide through symposiums, seminars, and partaking the conferences of the academic centers abroad, whereas these activities are video documented. - The display of his paintings amidst the most prominent museums in Britain, which is every skillful artist’s dream. In addition to the selection of his paintings by Professor Steven Ferdin for one of the most famous galleries in Britain called Tate Britain in London, and an exhibition with the significant artworks of Britain’s prominent artist, - In 2008, he was honored through a special ceremony by the Imperial War Museum in Britain as an artist that was a witness of war, which is an immensely significant global museum, for documenting the Genocide calamity and war against humanity and they opened a solo exhibition for him for the duration of three and a half months. In addition, his paintings that portray the Anfal tragedy have been preserved in this museum and constantly displayed. – The artist was invited to the studies on the original painting by the great Italian artist and polymath Leonardo da Vinci in cooperation with the British Museum and the University of London for arts in 2009/2010. - The artist was invited to a number of international conferences in Britain, Itlay, Germany, Australia, and Kurdistan, relating to the topics of the Kurdish genocide (Anfal) at the hands of the Ba’ath Regime in 1988. - He is the creator of the Anfal Monument that is displayed in Sulaymaniyah and Kifri. It is 22m in length and 3m in width. It has been highly acknowledged by the families of the victims of Anfal, literates, and artists and a lot of articles were published in light of the artwork by the International Association of Genocide Scholars. - on the 9th of July, 2017, he received an award for the greatest innovator of the art of war and genocide at the University of Brisbane in Brisbane, Australia. - In 2016, he participated in the Istanbul International Exhibition with his drawings that portray the Kurdish Genocide in the name of, “Let Us Not Forget Yesterday”. He was invited to the Karesi Sanat Gallery in Istanbul during the same year. - In 2017, he was invited to partake in an art project called, “My Lines is a Living Memory” at the Hinterland Galerie in Vienna, for the duration of a month. -On the 18th of December, 2019, he opened an exhibition at the Esta Gallery in the Culture Factory (The Old Cigarette Factory) called The Document of Darkness: A Drawing Project, for the duration of 6 months. -An art project in the name of “Crossing” at the Cihan Gallery in Erbil on the 8th of April, 2021. The project resumed for 2 months at Cihan University. -Participated in the Mask Global Exhibition, dedicated to the misfortunes of war and refugees at Landesgalerie St. Pölten, the prominent museum of Austria from the 13th of September, 2020 to the 23rd of September, 2021 for the duration of 1 year. He is the director of the head office of Kurdology at the University of Sulaymaniyah.