reflections Painting

I was born in 1949 in Buhriz, a village in the Diyala province of Iraq. Buhriz was known for its wide, pristine river and its lush fruit orchards, abundant with oranges and dates. The natural beauty of the area, with its untamed, semi-jungle-like character, provided a haven for animals and birds to live peacefully. Life was simple and sustainable—everything was crafted from natural materials, like straw, instead of plastic. My passion for art began early. Before I even started school, my elder brothers and I painted landscapes using watercolors. During my primary and secondary school years, I participated in annual exhibitions held in the provincial center, which brought together talented pupils from across the region. I won numerous prizes during these exhibitions. In 1970, I earned a BA in History and Art History from Baghdad University. The year before, in 1969, I joined the Free Studio founded by the late art professor Khalid Al-Jadir. This experience deeply shaped my artistic journey. Alongside other Free Studio members, I co-founded the artist group “Al-Adab for Fine Arts,” and we held our first exhibition that same year. From the summer of 1970 to the spring of 1974, I was forced to evade security forces due to my political activities. During this period of hiding—whether in the mountains of Kurdistan or in small, dark rooms within Baghdad’s narrow alleys—I continued painting, signing my works with the initials (Mu.). In 1978 and 1979, I studied sociology and politics at the Institute of Social Sciences in Moscow. By 2000, I moved to Germany and was granted political asylum. Since then, I have lived and worked in Berlin, maintaining an atelier at Atelierhaus Sigmaringer 1. From 2007 to the present, I have organized numerous painting and Arabic calligraphy courses at various locations, including schools, clubs, women’s organizations, and my own atelier. I have held 3 solo exhibitions and participated in many group exhibitions over the years. Despite the challenges I faced, the 1980s and 1990s were among the most successful periods of my career, during which I was one of Iraq's best-selling artists. In addition to my visual art, I have pursued a literary career. I write short stories in German and have won three literary prizes, received three residency grants, and had my stories featured in seven German anthologies. My first book, The Scent of Incense, was published in 2019 by Fischer Verlag. It includes 20 short stories.