The Art of Resistance: Defending Academic Freedom since 1933 | Page 120

Sina Ata?Iraqi ENA (Syrian Refugee series) 2013 Signed artist proof Framed Print with Epson inks on Canson paper 310 gsm 100 x 60 cm Guide Price £400 Born into a diplomatic family in New York in 1955, Sina had an unusual and historically compelling entrée into art. Trained as an engineer (BA in Civil Engineering, University of Technology, Baghdad in 1977; MA in Building Management, University of London in 1980) it was the critical timing of his return to Iraq that was to radically alter his fate “Two weeks after I arrived the [Iran/Iraq] war started”. Drafted into the army and forced to serve five long years, Sina was overwhelmed by the human atrocities and injustices he witnessed. To keep himself sane, he began painting, allowing the horrors of war to fuel his artistic vision. “It was therapeutic at first, but then it slowly developed into a passion and a way of life.” Twenty years later, Sina has built an extraordinary international reputation as an artist. He has participated in group exhibitions from San Francisco to Cairo and from Switzerland to Kuwait. His work has been the subject of one man shows in London, Baghdad, and Dubai. Now based in Amman, Jordan, Sina continues to use his heightened awareness of injustice to inspire his artistic production. 118 The Art of Resistance? Defending Academic Freedom Lot 36