Ali Al Fatlawi and Wathiq Al Ameri were born in 1972 in Baghdad, Iraq. Since 1997, they live and work in Zurich, Switzerland.
Together they create performances that reflect their history. They present a picture of exile, combining a critical perspective with hope for their return to their homeland from emigration. The art they create deals with the subject of confrontation and war. Ali and Wathiq received classical education at the University of Fine Arts in Baghdad. A few years ago, they decided to flee the regime of Saddam Hussein and began their odyssey across the Iraqi Jordanian border, for which they copied classical and Arab art until they had raised enough funds to reach Sudan. From there, they traveled by truck to the Sahara desert to Libya, from where they finally managed to get to Switzerland, where they continued their education at the School for Art and Media Design F + F (F + F Schule für Kunst und Mediendesign). They also founded the Urnamo group with Wamidh Al Ameri to exchange ideas and create unique images. For them, performance is a dynamic and experimental practice that can bring rich and unpredictable results. Their work is maintained and repeated in many ways, depending on the materials available, using a variety of themes. With other art forms, such opportunities would be unattainable.
Their performances work to create an image in a moment, without translating it into words. Views, moments, change, traversing places and memorization give meaning to the whole process and are elements that artists hope to communicate to viewers. The performances address their message towards the emotions of the recipients rather than towards their intellect, providing the possibility of pure replacement.
Ali Al Fatlawi and Wathiq Al Ameri are award winners at such projects as: 2012 Schwiss Art Award, Basel 2011 Art Award, Gämf Performances (selection) 2015 Arctic Action1, Svalbard, Arctic 2015 liveAction 10, Gothenburgs, Sweden 2015 Infr'Action 3 , Venezia, Biennale, Italy 2014 Mothers tongue, Helsinki, Finland 2014 INTON'ACTION 4 Angoulême, France 2014 Infr'Action 10, Sète, France 2013 Estonia: Kumu Art Museum - 17th October 2013 PERFORM NOW, Winterthur Switzerland 2013 Infr'Action 9 , Sète, France 2013 liveAction 8, Gothenburgs, Sweden 2013 Infr'Action 2, Venezia, Biennale, Italy 2012 Guangzhou live international action art, Guangzhou, China 2012 Swiss Art Awards, Basel 2012 Trouble Performance Festival, Brussels, Belgium 2012 Performance Festival Turku , Finland 2011 Performance Award in Switzerland, Geneva 2011 Performance Laboratory 03, Linz, Austria 2011 Mont der Performancekunst, im Flutgraben, Berlin, Germany 2011 Performance Workshop Museum of Fine Arts S chool, Boston 2011 Grace Exhibition Space, Brooklyn, New York, USA 2011 International Festival of Live Art, BMI Glasgow, Scotland 2011 International Performance Festival, Mainz, Germany 2010 Ex Machina Contemporary Arts, Geneva 2010 Festival Particules, Geneva 2009 Open International Performance Festival , Hong Kong, China 2009 Zoom Festival, Hildsheim, Germany 2008 Momentum Festival, Brussels, Belgium 2008 Studio Mesopotamia, Vienna.
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