Riyadh Neama Born in Baghdad, Iraq   Riyadh was born in Baghdad in 1968. He belongs to a generation of artists who, amid fear and suffering developed a remarkable talent for the visual arts. Grey, black and white dominate his paintings in sharp contrast to more scarce red, green and orange. Neama began his dreamy aspiration with the rise of Saddam Hussein to power and his attempts for totalitarian control of Iraq’s destiny. His early artistic experience took shape during the start of the Iraqi struggle. This dramatic reality, filled with oppression, hatred, torture, terror, murder and exile was challenging and confusing to a whole generation of Iraqi artists, providing rich and profound inspirations to an insightful wave of contemporary Iraqi art. The overwhelming contrast between the colors, the sharpness and randomness of lines, the absence of soft curves do not make Neama’s art “expressive” but rather lyrical in essence. Like a lyrical poetry. It is least concerned with the inner confusions of Man, only casting light on human conflicts. Neama’s art is like songs on a piano, playing the tunes of man’s grey destiny. Riyadh currently lives and works in Damascus, Syria.           Courtyard Gallery all rights reserved. privacy policy