Welcome to Iraq, South London Gallery

One of the unanimous, not to mention unexpected, highlights of the 2013 Venice Biennale was the National Pavilion of Iraq. Now, that exhibition is being restaged wholesale in the South London Gallery. 

Despite the lure of its big art spectacles, for some, Venice is a little too far an excursion for the sake of a contemporary art super-Olympics. This show gives a chance to experience one of the most poignant parts of the global art calendar’s top event without having to take a Gondella. In restaging the exhibition, South London Gallery has opened it up to a whole new audience and the endeavour has been received enthusiastically by South London locals.

Welcome to Iraq is curated by Jonathan Watkins, director of Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. Watkins carried out extensive studio visits across Iraq while selecting the eleven contemporary artists featured in this show.

The original Venice iteration was held in a 16th century palazzo, where visitors were invited to relax, sit and read among the works on display. This informal atmosphere has very successfully been transposed into South London Gallery’s quite formal exhibition space. Here, dining chairs and comfortable sofas are dotted throughout the gallery. Videos are shown on laptop screens, coffee tables groan under the weight of books written in and about Iraq; from accounts of the country’s recent past to the ancient Epic of Gilgamesh.

Contemporary art of the Middle East has been growing in popularity and influence for a while now. From the work of the eleven artists featured here it is easy to see why. Welcome to Iraq is rich in pathos and humour. However, this is not always the gallows humour of a war-torn state. While being decidedly Iraqi in character, the work here has a broad scope. The title Welcome to Iraq could easily be interpreted as a sardonic nod to the country’s current problems. But perhaps it is better to read the title as a genuine invitation; "welcome to Iraq" –  it’s definitely worth spending some time here.