From conversations

Politics as Currency and the Souvenirs of War: Reflections on Rijin Sahakian’s Statement on the Closing of Sada for Iraqi Art

Along with each feature, we wish to introduce contemptorary artists, writers, interventions, and interruptions that intrigue and inspire us. For our first feature, we picked Rijin Sahakian’s statement ”On the Closing of Sada for Iraqi Art.” We both thought it was the most urgent piece of writing we had interacted with in the past year. We highly encourage our readers to read her statement in full, as it is going to provide much necessary context for the conversation that follows.   In the statement, Sahakian describes the process of building Sada, and her decision to close the organization in 2015:…