The Iraqi painter and sculptor Saad Abid Zaid lives and works in his hometown Baghdad. His mainly non-figurative work is influenced by neo-expressionism and abstract expressionism. He was inspired by Mark Rothko, Anselm Kiefer, and Francis Bacon, artists he could thoroughly study during his residence in the US. In 2011, he obtained his master’s in environmental art from the College of Fine Art, Baghdad University, where he has worked as an art teacher since 2019.
Art is my mission in life
He loves to play with color tones. He leads the eye of the viewer to see another color world, such as in his series “20 Shades of Grey”. The series encompasses 40 square abstract pieces that make you feel nature. At great length brushstrokes using thickly applied oil paint in one color in different shades are reminiscent of heaven and earth, blossom and root, landscapes and environment. “Morning Light” for instance is a diptych where he examines the colors yellow and blue. He paints on the whole canvas, including the edges. Oil is his partner because it allows him to paint and think. He leads the color, not the color leads him.
He believes that an artist should have performance abilities, master techniques, and awareness to reflect the community. This mix was visible in his last solo exhibition “Common Senses” showcased in the Bronze Gallery Baghdad in 2021. The focal point of his exhibition was the bed. He loves his loneliness but is surrounded by objects. Therefore, he feels that the objects belong to him. In his exhibition, he showed in five relief pieces his transfiguration of an object into a human being and vice versa. The shape of a bed arises out of the canvas, the sheet of a bed connects the object and the human being. The color tone underlines the movement. The richness of his color palette is infinite. For “Love in Times of Covid” as an example, he used cobalt blue and orange, which are no longer visible to the ordinary eye.
Another object of his interest is a package of cigarettes. In 2006, he started to draw and paint the packages of cigarettes he used to smoke. His preferred brand was “Pine”. The series “Pack of Cigarette” comprises drawings as well as watercolor and oil paintings. In each single work, he transfers the package as an object into a tool of expression. The package is his belongings, part of his life. Through his paintings, he gives Pine life.
BIOGRAPHY
Saad Abid Zaid was born in Baghdad in 1970. He graduated from the Visual Department, College of Fine Art, Baghdad University in 1994. He participated in many group exhibitions and had solo exhibitions in Iraq. Besides his artistic experiences, he worked as an art and project manager as well as an art teacher. He is currently teaching at the College of Fine Art, at Baghdad University
Saad Abid Zaid
The Iraqi painter and sculptor Saad Abid Zaid lives and works in his hometown Baghdad. His mostly non-figurative work is influenced by neo-expressionism and abstract expressionism. He was inspired by Mark Rothko, Anselm Kiefer, and Francis Bacon, artists he could thoroughly study during his residence in the US. In 2011, he obtained his master’s in environmental art from the College of Fine Art, Baghdad University, where he has worked as an art teacher since 2019.
EDUCATION
1994 Bachelor’s Degree, Visual Art Department, College of Fine Arts, Baghdad University
2011 Master’s Degree in Environmental Art, College of Fine Arts, Baghdad University
Solo Exhibitions
2021 “Common Senses”, Bronze Gallery, Baghdad, IQ
2014 “Glimpses of 2004”, Stockholm, SE
2013 “Beyond Memory”, Maddarat Gallery, Baghdad
Group Exhibitions
2022 “Lightening Autumn”, The Gallery, Baghdad, IQ
Collection
“Twenty Shades of Gray”
“Brown Leaves”
“Pack of Cigarette”
Publications
2011 “Beautifying places to implement an Iraqi Environmental Art, Al Shawaka as a sample”, thesis, College of Fine Art, Baghdad University
… “The visual dialogue within metaphor and creation”, study, Al Mustanseriya University, Baghdad
… “The Citadel of Erbil”, a non-published study submitted to the Council of Kurdistan to maintain the Citadel of Erbil
… “The conceptual values of environmental arts”, a non-published study
Teaching Experiences
2012 – 2014 Art lecturer, College of Art, Dohuk, Autonomous Republic of Kurdistan, IQ
since 2019 I Art lecturer, the College of Fine Arts, Baghdad University