Rakan Dabdoub Iraqi, 1941-2017

Rakan Dabdoub (b. 1942 - 2017, Iraqi), a renowned contemporary artist in Iraq, painted and sculpted in an original style, containing paintings using Ink, oil, acrylic painting, and the sculptural experience using clay, wire, and mixed materials. His artwork was deeply grounded in the cultural and architectural soul of his birthplace in Mosul. In his works, he dealt with the expression of identity, heritage, movement, abstraction, and human relations.

The small holes or dots were one of his distinctive hallmarks, always present in the paintings by Dabdoub that let him sign them. He was the first to use dots and perforations in painting, and his works remain a major reference in Iraqi modern art. He continues to inspire many Iraqi and Middle Eastern young artists. Also, Dabdoub's influence on Iraqi contemporary art truly lives on. Through his work, he nurtured innovation and cultural investigation.