Shwan Dler Qaradaki for HRW
Shwan Dler Qaradaki - The Golden Wish - 2019 - 18 letters in 320 g, 12 karat gold - Edition of 3 - Size 5 x 100 x 1 cm - Gallery price 110.000 USD
Shwan Dler Qaradaki
- In what way is ART a tool for activism?
Through art we can raise critical questions on our society, questions that make us all reflect and see the larger picture. But it always depends on the eye of the beholder: Art can engage and provoke. Art can be very explicit. Art can be so engaging that it helps change our view of the world around us and even creates new ideals. But also so provocative that it can take life and contribute to further division of cultures and nationalities.
- In what way does your chosen piece reflect on 2020.
My piece, The Golden Wish, is based on the infamous 'jewelry-law' adopted by the Danish Parliament in 2006. It gives police jurisdiction to confiscate jewelry and valuables worth more than 10.000 Danish crowns from asylum seekers the moment they enter the country, in order to finance their own room and board. The exceptions are wedding bands and objects of great sentimental value, which must be proven by personal stories. The Golden Wish reflects on the direction of the policies when it comes to the refugee problem. Who are those who seek refuge in our safe-havens? What injustice have they been subjected to before entering our safe zones, and who will speak their case? This is an area where HRWś work is crucial and important.
- What gives you hope?
When the law is equal for all, then there is hope.
BIO
Shwan Dler Qaradaki (born 1977 in Suleimania, Iraqi Kurdistan) is a Norwegian visual artist who works with drawing, painting, photography, installation, and video. He came to Norway as a refugee in 1999. Qaradaki is a graduate of the Suleimani Institute of Fine Arts (Kurdistan, Iraq), NISS (Oslo) and the Norwegian Academy of Fine Arts (Oslo). He has had solo exhibitions at, among others, Interkulturelt Museum (Oslo), Akershus Kunstsenter (Lillestrøm), the Festival in Northern Norway (Harstad) and the Artists' Association (Oslo). Shwan's art problematizes identities in a multiethnic and multicultural world. Based on his Kurdish background and twenty years of residence in Norway, he examines the field of tension between opportunities, traditions, breaches and prejudices as recurring themes.
In 2015 he was awarded the Newcomer of the Year prize from the Norwegian Arts Council. In 2020, as one of eight artists, he was invited by the National Museum to respond to the current I Can't Breathe campaign, where he contributed the film Sharp as a Knife. In 2021, he is part of the first group exhibition in the new National Museum and will have a separate exhibition at Kunstplass Contemporary Art [Oslo].
In 2020 Qaradaki was awarded the Kistefoss Art Award for "The Golden Wish. Edition #1/3 of Golden Wish is part of Oslo Municipality´s Art Collection.
Short documentary on the Making of The Golden Wish; Link to The Golden Wish Video
www.qaradaki.com Instagram: @qaradaki
This artwork is made of gold purchased from refugees in Kurdistan. The pandemic travel restrictions might affect delivery time. WILLAS contemporary will facilitate artwork release within 3 months after payment. Can be picked up by the buyer in Oslo, Norway, or shipped at the buyer´s expense.