Istilham al Turath: A Discussion with Dr. Nada Shabout

About this event

Part of the public program for "All Manner of Experiments." Join us for a discussion with Dr. Nada Shabout, curator of All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group and Visiting Professor of Art History at NYU Abu Dhabi. Dr. Shabout will explore the concept of istilham al-turath (drawing on tradition), first articulated by Jewad Selim and Shakir Hassan Al Said, founders of the Baghdad Modern Art Group. She will also discuss how the group turned this idea into a modern method of art-making rooted in Iraq's history and symbolism, helping the artists move toward abstraction while asserting a distinctly Iraqi perspective. This will be followed by a Q&A, moderated by Maya Allison, Executive Director and Chief Curator of the NYUAD Art Gallery. Image: Installation view: All Manner of Experiments: Legacies of the Baghdad Modern Art Group at the NYU Abu Dhabi Art Gallery, 2026. Works by Jewad Selim. Photo: Altamash Urooj