EMAN ALI KHALED

Eman Ali Khaled, an artist born in 1962 in Baghdad, Iraq, studied at the Art Institute of Baghdad from 1979 to 1984. She now resides in Amsterdam, where her paintings are known for their multiple layers, each one carrying its own unique story. The technique of layering in Eman's artwork allows her to weave together multiple narratives and create a sense of depth and complexity in her pieces.

"My paintings are a kind of movie, on stacked snapshots of my life."

When looking at Eman Ali Khaled's paintings, they may initially appear cheerful. However, upon closer inspection, one may find that there is more happening within the painting than first thought, and the cheerful appearance may actually be masking a deeper, sadder story.

"When I paint I am always concerned with the ‘now’, with emotions at that moment in my life, as they should appear on the canvas. If one day later, I further work on this canvas and the world looks different again, I create a new world with a new story. That way I playfully paint over the first layer with time, emotion, color and life.”

The layers of Eman Ali Khaled's paintings, which always carry a theme, allow for the depiction of multiple stories, with the details of the previous layer/moment remaining visible in the cloth. On her canvases, that often feature warm purple, orange, red, yellow and night blue hues, one can see faces and eyes, as well as hands depicted as wavy sea plants. A recurring theme in her works is human relationships, there is also a direct Oriental atmosphere, reflecting the legacy of Iraq, where she lived until 1996 before fleeing to the Netherlands with her family via England.

Eman Ali received her education in Iraq, at the Art Academy of Baghdad and later worked as a designer of theatrical costumes for the Iraq Fashion House, while also pursuing her career as an artist.

"The difference between my autonomous work of then and now, is that I now have more research and experimentation, the colors and shapes that I use now are more powerful. Before I was scattered across many topics, for the lack of 'freedom' which was considered taboo and dangerous. in the Netherlands, as an artist, I feel free and I have my power on. I see it in my work."