Serwan Baran

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Serwan Baran is a painter and sculptor adopting both a realistic and gestural expressionist style. His work often explores political themes, focusing on the tumultuous history of Iraq, the complexities of war, and the social struggles of marginalized communities. Baran's art series typically center around specific social groups, portraying them as protagonists in historical dramas. These groups range from workers and prisoners to wounded soldiers, generals, and nurses. Baran earned a BFA from the University of Babylon, College of Fine Arts in 1990, receiving a youth prize in Baghdad that same year. He gained further recognition by winning the first and second prizes at the Baghdad International Festival of Plastic Arts in 1994 and 1995. Throughout the 1990s, his work was featured in numerous solo and group exhibitions in Iraq. In 2001, he participated in the Ayloul Summer Academy, a residency program at Darat al-Funun in Amman, Jordan. Following the American invasion of Iraq in 2003, Baran relocated to Jordan, where he continued his artistic journey. Since 2013, he has been residing and working in Beirut. In 2019, Baran's solo exhibition "Fatherland" represented Iraq at the 58th International Venice Biennale, curated by Tamara Chalabi and Paolo Colombo. Other solos include: “A Harsh Beauty” (Saleh Barakat Gallery, Beirut, 2020; “Indelible Memory” (Gallery Misr, Cairo, 2020); “Canines” (Agial Art Gallery, Beirut, 2018); “Living on the Edge” (Nabad Art Gallery, Amman, 2013); “Elected” (Matisse Art Gallery, Marrakech,2013); and “Whispers” (Orfali Art Gallery, Amman, 2012), among others. He has participated in group exhibitions, notably at Saleh Barakat Gallery, Beirut (2018); The Mojo Gallery, Dubai (2015); Al-Markhiya Gallery, Doha (2013). His work was also featured in the Cairo Biennale (1999, 2019); Al-Kharafi Biennial, Kuwait (2011); and the Marrakech Biennale (2012).