Issam Kourbaj On Home and the Fabric of Life
‘Come upstairs’, Issam Kourbaj tells me, ‘I’ll talk to you about something personal and poignant that I haven’t talked about in a long time.’ It’s a short walk upstairs to the research space at Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge, where you can find books, catalogues, and film on show as part of Urgent Archive, the largest solo show for the artists’ work to date.
‘These were made by my grandmother,’ Kourbaj is pointing at grainy black and white images, ‘out of old clothes. She used to make quilts - in the mountains, we used to use them in the mountains to protect ourselves from the cold weather. But if you look at them, they look like very beautiful abstract paintings. So, without her knowing, she influenced me as a painter.’
Although Kourbaj is not an artist who works predominantly with fabric, as a media the use of textiles and related ephemera is a significant strand of his work. ‘I find material and convert it, repurpose it to speak a new language. This is a bridge between me and the past’ - and, yes, the present’. Painting, making and working with objects become a way of restoring connection to Syria. A crossover of everyday life with art, often with startling, emotive impact.
Image and image above: Issam Kourbaj: Urgent Archive at Kettle's Yard, Cambridge. Photo by Jo Underhill......................................
‘These were made by my grandmother,’ Kourbaj is pointing at grainy black and white images, ‘out of old clothes. She used to make quilts - in the mountains, we used to use them in the mountains to protect ourselves from the cold weather. But if you look at them, they look like very beautiful abstract paintings. So, without her knowing, she influenced me as a painter.’
Although Kourbaj is not an artist who works predominantly with fabric, as a media the use of textiles and related ephemera is a significant strand of his work. ‘I find material and convert it, repurpose it to speak a new language. This is a bridge between me and the past’ - and, yes, the present’. Painting, making and working with objects become a way of restoring connection to Syria. A crossover of everyday life with art, often with startling, emotive impact.
Image and image above: Issam Kourbaj: Urgent Archive at Kettle's Yard, Cambridge. Photo by Jo Underhill......................................
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