About
Rebeen Hamarafiq
info@rebeen.art
Also known as: Rebeen Majeed, Reben Majeed or Rebeen Majed.
(there was not a fixed system in Iraq for names; that's why there were different variations.)
A Kurdish Iraqi artist, curator, and researcher who has dedicated his work to exploring the relationship between daily living and art, the social construction of power and meaning, the body's reaction to norms and modern living, and the re-habitation of Iraqi society after random destruction by wars and the fast changes of the after Saddam’s era.
He is a PhD student at the AKBILD Vienna, studied MFA Fine Art at Goldsmiths, London and has exhibited his work nationally and internationally, including at Showroom London, Alternativa Gdansk, Cal Art LA, and Museo di Roma in Trastevere. He has also curated several projects, including Dado, Sulaymanyah, video zoom Kurdistan Iraq, Museo di Roma in Trastevere, and "Are We Addicted?" - a one-year project inside a culture factory.
In addition to his work as an artist and curator, he has published articles on visual culture in local magazines and his latest article was published in Genocide Studies International by University of Toronto Press. He has received several grants and residencies, including the Spotlight Iraq award by Goethe Institute and a Live Art and ArtsAdmin residency in London.
His relation with art started when he was six years old and had to accompany his blind uncle who also had a great influence on him, to sell cigarettes and other goods in front of the Institute of Fine Art - the only place to study art in Iraqi Kurdistan. In 1994, he became a student at the same institute. His relation to the intellectual body was mainly through his family, who were secretly part of the communist groups in the city. The year he became a student at the institute was the start of the civil war between Kurdish parties, which destroyed the utopian dream of nationalism, democracy, communism,
and all other dreams built around the little Kurdish government. It was also the start of a new type of thinking among smaller groups of artists, poets, writers, and activists, who gathered to make exhibitions, activities, and seminars. His works were located outside the main parties' opposing agendas spread through cultural bodies.
CV
Education
PhD Student at Academie of Fine art Vienna
2014 MFA Fine Art / Goldsmiths' College University of London
2012 Graduate Diploma in Creative and Cultural Industries / Goldsmiths' College University of London
2003 BA painting / Sulaimany University / College of Arts
1994 Diploma painting / Sulaimany Institute of Fine Arts
Research and publications video critical programs.
2023 performativity between art and Philosophy, the future of philosophy conference, Sulaymaniyah, Culture factory.
2019 Genocide Studies International Volume 13 No. 1. Genocide Genocide and the Kurds.
https://www.utpjournals.press/toc/gsi/13/1
2007 – 2021 become part in many TV programs Kurdish TV’s as well artist led cahnenl. Encouraging critical thinking and discourses about art and creativity.
2019 Maps of Control article.
2017 Culture factory dose it sell to promote Culture or use culture to make more selling.
2017 women Image/ society after war.
2015 Small things that matters More, Video zoom catalog.
2005 -2010 artistic Director, art department director of Hangar Magazine. Beside Publishing many articles on art in the magazine.
Curatorial
2019 Maps of Control. Slemani, factory gallery inside cultural factory.
2018 SPACE21 EXHIBITION FOR SOUND ART, Slemani - Erbil, Kurdistan/Iraq.
2017 me and mycity hurt each other, English hospital Sulaymanyah.
2017 becoming a dog university of sulaymanyah.
2015 Rubish show, the cigarette factory. Sulaymanyah.
2015 Vediozoom Kurdistan Iraq Small things that maters more.
2009 Dado Exhibition Sara Building, Sulaymanyah Iraq.
Artistic practices
Selected Group Shows:
2023 Duhok Gallery, Duhok Iraq.
2023 Esta Gallery, Culture factory, artists present exhibition for 52 Kurdish contemporary artists.
2022 NUMUS Gdansk, CIMAM international festival.
2021 These Humans are working. Slemani, Different locations inside the city.
2020 May Flames Pave the Way for You. Białystok, Arsenal Gallery.
2019 Maps of Control. Slemani, factory gallery inside cultural factory.
2019 Roads through Kurdistan. P21 Gallery London.
2018 SPACE21 EXHIBITION FOR SOUND ART Slemani - Erbil, Kurdistan/Iraq.
2017 Me and City Hurt each other, English hospital Sulaymanyah.
2017 becoming a dog, university of Sulaymanyah
2016 Clamour, institute of fine art hall Sulaymanyah.
2015 Rubish Show, inside Cigarette factory Sulaymanyah.
2015 Vediozoom Kurdistan Iraq, in Museo di Roma in Trastevere
2014 Alternativa 2014 exhibition, Poland, Gdansk.
2014 Final Show Goldsmiths' College University of London
2013 Fresh almonds from Spain. Spain/London.
2013 Watermelon, Performance, More Utopia, Goldsmiths / London.
2013 Water Dropping, Goldsmiths / London.
2011 Merg Gallery an exhibition in Dhok, Erbil, Sulaimanyah.
2011 Alternativa 2011-2012 Poland Gdansk
2011 Navigating the Aftermath / an exhibition toured six cities in USA (Minneapolis, Mankato, Bemidji,Winona,Ely, Duluth).
2010 Eternal Network News as part of Eternal Telethon / Los Angeles.
2010 estrangement exhibition in showroom London.
2009 ( Kurdish colour) A workshop, with professor Michael fee.
2008 (City Project), a project aimed to work with urban and city subjects, Kurdistan Iraq.
2008 (A to B) a sound project in L.A
2008 (Watermelon Performance) in front of Westfield Sheperdbush London.
2007 ( Sermedy le 437.072 SQ KM ) Exhibition / Sulaimany National Museum Gallery –Amna Sooraka
2007 (Flue Workshop) / Sulaimany National Museum Gallery –Amna Sooraka
2005 (2005 Art Project) / Sulaimany National Museum Gallery –Amna Sooraka 2004 (47.7X58X61.5)
Workshop / Aram Gallery - Sulaimany
2003 Collective Work in Baghdad - Ferdaws Sequare
2000 (kany Ashqan Becomes the Source of a Number of Paintings) / Sulaimany University
Selected Solo Shows:
2002 special show in the space of room inside Dwarozh Center.
2000 Sulaimany Museum Hall.
1998 Fine Arts Institute Gallery
Workshops, seminars and residencies.
2019 Are we Addicted project one year project researching modern humans addiction with modes of living, building alternative creativity strategies. Many stages including wekly discussions, creative workshops. Translation of critical discourses. Collaboration internationally on subjects related to the project.
2017 me and City hurt each other, A Seminar in College of fine Sulaymaniyah University.
2017 A Seminar in School sociology Sulaymaniyah University.
2017 becoming a dog seminar, in seminar Hall College of fine Sulaymaniyah University.
2015 A Seminar in College of fine Sulaymaniyah University.
2015 Green Almond, a seminar in Qawaxaney Kltury Sulaymaniyah.
2014 Cultural Politic, a seminar with Sherwan Xan for Directory of Fine Art's staff
2013 Seminar in Camberwel for BA students, London.
2013 residency in Joya: arte + ecología, Spain.
2011 Seminar with rozhgar Mustafa, Hewa K, Jason Wait, at, no.w.here, London.
2010 Curating Dado exhibition and developing, Transform project.
2008 residency in London in collaboration between, ArtRole, Live Art Development Agency and Arts Admins.
2007 A collaborative seminar and workshop with the staff of Documenta 12. In Kassel.
2007 (14 days in Leipzig Academy of visual art) as culture exchange between artists from kurdistan and The Leipzig Academy.