THE WITNESSING ARCHIVE

Almukhtar’s early works reflect his need to document the volatile political situation in his home country. Since invading Iraq in 2003, U.S. troops would line the streets – whether overtly or covertly – with the justification of supposedly gaining intelligence on Jihadi terrorist organisations. Almukhtar saw this military presence as an excuse to exhaustively police ordinary Iraqi citizens. His camera was confiscated while attempt- ing to document this once on his way home from art school. He subsequently turned to recording his observations on tracing paper. THE WITNESSING ARCHIVE (2010) comprises drawings of overlapping observations. Some were transcribed directly onto the page if he was able to hide out in a parked car. Others were started on the streets but only completed later in the safety of his home.

Text by: Hannah Marynissen, Curator Kunsthalle Wien Preis 2024