‘These works were shown in April 1967 in my solo exhibition at the new studio centre built for the Iraqi Artists Society, along with 29 oil paintings and 20 drawings called Study for the Epic of Gilgamesh. Samuel Noah Kramer’s book on ancient Sumerian literature had motivated me to read Gilgamesh, and I made a series of drawings based on the epic… from 1966 onwards, I tried to create a set of work with minimal detail and an emphasis on artistic composition, with distinct, independent signs and symbols, and a monochromatic background with gradations of gold or silver.’
D. Azzawi, quoted in C. David, Dia Al Azzawi: A Retrospective From 1963 until Tomorrow, Italy, Qatar 2017, p.35.

This 1966 work by Iraqi artist Dia Azzawi hails from his Study for the Epic of Gilgamesh series produced in gouache and ink on paper, exploring the epic of Gilgamesh through an imagining of Gilgamesh’s quests and struggles. This work focuses on the fourth tablet from the epic, where Gilgamesh wanders the wilderness, praying to Shamash, the Sumerian God of the Sun. The work itself is created in earth-tones, as was typical of Azzawi’s early practice, in browns, off white and black. The piece was made only two years after Azzawi’s graduation from the Institute of Fine Arts, Baghdad, and four years after he obtained his BSc in Archaeology at Baghdad University. In 1965 and 1966, Azzawi was deployed on compulsory military service in the north of Iraq, and returned to the story of Gilgamesh with a renewed eye – focusing both on the history of his homeland, and the eternal struggle of fear, suffering and death.

‘My study of archaeology in the first few years was a decisive factor in the direction my artist’s interests would take. It gave me knowledge of Mesopotamian art in all its diversity, in addition to knowledge of the art of other civilisations in the region, as well as folk art.’
D. Azzawi, quoted in C. David, Dia Al Azzawi: A Retrospective From 1963 until Tomorrow, Italy, Qatar 2017, p.31-32.

Azzawi’s artwork was the subject of a comprehensive retrospective held at Mathaf, Museum of Modern Art, Doha, in 2016-2017, and he has exhibited internationally since the 1960s. His work can be found in the collections of Guggenheim, Abu Dhabi; Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah; LACMA, Los Angeles; Tate Modern, London and V&A, London, among others.