Bassim Al Shaker

Bassim Al Shaker was born in the land of Mesopotamia. Al Shaker’s identity was shaped by centuries of Middle Eastern tradition and culture. Bassim’s work uses turquoise and warm tones, colors of Mesopotamia and Babylon, colors of the ancient city and his childhood. Al Shaker uses rich layers and textures, rewarding audiences with an emotional experience. As viewers engage with Al Shaker’s paintings, they’ll feel something about themselves, rather than about the work itself.

In spite of his homeland’s current political landscape, Al Shaker’s work celebrates new beginnings. He focuses on rebirth and recalibration to form new possibilities, to appreciate his heritage. His paintings explore resilience — of himself, of the Iraqi people, and of humanity. He aims to elicit his feelings of gratitude and hope through his work. Al Shaker’s modern influences include historical painters such as Jean-Honoré Fragonard, J. M. W. Turner, and Giovanni Battista Tiepolo.