OVER MY EYES: STORIES OF IRAQ
Today you are going to visit the DOX Centre for Contemporary Art.
"Today, when more and more people tend to think dangerously alike,
arts capacity to suspend, even for a moment, our habitual ways of
seeing may be its greatest value." DOX Centre for Contemporary Art
Dear students,
DOX Centre is a museum which focuses on both local and
international art. The name of the museum DOX comes from Greek.
It is derived from the word doxa which means opinion, judgment
and view. In other words, doxa is a way of perceiving things. This is
related to the museum as there are various exhibitions through which
the museum addresses social issues and puts these social in a
different light. All the exhibitions incorporate a critical view on current
social topics concerning areas such as psychology, philosophy and
politics. Its mission is: To create a space for research, presentation
and debate on important social issues, where visual arts, literature,
performing arts and other disciplines encourage a critical view of the
so-called reality of todays world.
Address: Pouptova 793/1, Prague 7, 170 00
Ticket price: 90 CZK (for students) = 3.49 EUR
Opening hours (thursday): 11.00 am - 7.00 pm
Current exhibitions: OVER MY EYES: Stories of Iraq,
Reconstruction of memory, Stanislav Libensky Award, The
Woman, the Moon, the Snake. Seventeen Months in Iraq, The
Gulliver Airship and Karel Nepras: Family Ready for Departure
Directions:
1. From the hotel, go right (1-minute walk)
2. The tram stop, Dlouh Tda, is located at the left side of a
bankomat (Volksbank)
3. Take tram 6
4. Go out after 9 minutes at tramstop Ortenovo Nmsti
5. Turn to the right
6. Take the first exit at your left side
7. Walk a bit further and the DOX is at your left side
8. Turn left to find the entrance
OVER MY EYES: STORIES OF IRAQ
There are various exhibitions in the museum, feel free to walk
around in the museum and visit them all. However, there is an
assignment concerning only one of the exhibitions so you have to at
least visit this exhibition and have a look at these pictures more
extensively in order to answer all the questions listed on the next
page.
The show related to the questions is called Over My Eyes: Stories of
Iraq. This is a collection of the work of six different photographers.
All the pictures are taken in Iraq and they show a lot of aspects of the
Iraqi culture.
As generally known, Iraq has been involved in a range of conflict
since a long time. The Iraq War, also called the Second Gulf War,
has been the main conflict in Iraq ever since the United States-led
coalition invaded Iraq and dismissed the government of Saddam
Hussein. This, for sure, is the first thing that comes to our mind when
we Europeans think about Iraq. This exhibition wants us to think
broader and to look further than just the war.
It exists of different sets of photographs and each category has its
own title. The beginning shows hundreds of photos originating from
newspapers from all across the world. In contrast to show itself, this
confirms the common image, the image of Iraq being a source of all
kinds of violent conflicts.
The title of the first section is Smugglers, by photographer Aram
Karim. These pictures show the way of life In the northern border
regions of Iraq. They all depict something that has to do with
smuggling, whether it is about getting weapons across the border or
about getting access to food or medicine. These photographs are
different from other photographs, as Aram Karim lived near the
Northern border of Iraq and thus was able to take pictures others
never would have been able to take.
The next set of pictures is called Iraq: Situation. Here, photos of the
daily life in Iraq are depicted. It captures all the moments that take
place regardless of all the political unrest and other conflicts, such as
weddings and parties.
Twana Abdullah is the photographer of A Kurdish Archive. He
passed away in 1992 and after his death thousands of negatives
were found. Due to the immense fear of the government, most
pictures of this sort were destroyed. This set is a combination of
shots of the scenery, pictures of the daily life and portraits. Through
this, the differences between the Kurdish people is shown.
The next room is Map of Displacement, which provides detailed
information about all the pictures shown in the exhibition and the
events they relate to.
The final and perhaps the most touching section is Escaped by
Seivan M. Salim. It portraits Yazida women who have been
kidnapped and held captive as sex slaves by Isis. They managed to
escape after the city of Sinjar was no longer in the hands of the
Islamic State. The women are wearing Yazodi dresses, which is a
traditional wedding dress. On the wall next to where the picture is
shown, each women from the photo explains her own story, which is
without doubt the most impressive and moving part of the entire
exhibition.
Photographers: Aram Karim, Bnar Sardar, Hawre Khalid, Seivan M.
Salim, Rawsht Twana, Twana Abdullah, Sebastian Meyer, Dario
Bosio and Ali Arkady
Project Authors: Stefano Carini, Dario Bosio / DARST projects
DESCRIPTION OF 5 OBJECTS IN THE EXHIBITION

This is a photo taken on 6.11.2016, it pictures displaced families

This is a photo of a wedding in Baghdad taken on 4.11.2015. In the
fleeing after heavy bombardment of Iraqi and US pilots. You see
left of the photograph, you can see a bride in a white dress, sitting on
families, mostly women with children, walking through a field with a
a sofa on a stage, with flowers around her. Next to her, on her left,
her new husband sits. The rest of the people are dancing, eating or lot of bags, which probably contain a large part of their possessions.
They are fleeing because there was a bombardment, so probably
drinking or just having fun. An Iraqi wedding ceremony is a lot longer
their homes are destroyed so they have nowhere to live anymore.
than just this party, it is a very extensive happening, that takes long
This is quite a big contrast to the previous photo, where a happy
and both the families are involved quite a lot. After this photograph,
wedding was celebrated. But this, as well, is a part of life for the
the party probably continued for a long while, with the bride and
groom also dancing, and everyone having more and more fun. The families that live in war zones. In Europe, a lot of refugees ask for
asylum, and a few of these families have probably tried as well. They
photographer probably took this photo because you only see the bad
may have succeeded, they may be stranded along some other
things of Iraq, but traditions like these are also a big part in their
borders, or they may have died.
lives, and it is a very happy happening.
These are 15 photographs of women who got away from being held
unwillingly, being held as slaves or being held as sexual toys. They
have all experienced it. The women are wearing a traditional Yazidi
dress, that depicts their innocence. They were all young, innocent
women, that were taken against their will. Some were just taken from
their families, some were given away by their parents, and others
were kidnapped. On the wall next to these photographs, which
together take a whole wall, all their stories are written down. In these
stories, a lot of horrible things are written, like how a girl was raped
by her owner, then put away in a room until the next time the owner
wanted to have some fun. This work really has a big impact, because
things like this happen a lot, but there are also a lot of women who
are kept like this who dont survive or arent able to tell their story in
another way.
This is a photograph taken on the 28th of December 2014. It shows
smugglers with illegal goods crossing a river. There are a lot of
people with these plastic containers, this might be the only way that
they are still living. Because it is hard in a war to find food or other
important goods, they smuggle things over borders or boundaries of
the war. There are only a few ways of surviving, and this is one, and
as you see, it happens very often. Some of these people may have
been caught, and some nasty things can happen. When they cross a
border where guards keep watch, they or their horses are shot down,
or they are put in prison. A lot of smugglers are young, many are still
in their teenage years.
 QUIZ
Interactive element: an application of all your acquired
knowledge concerning Over my eyes: Stories of Iraq

You are now at the start of the photo exhibition Over my Eyes:
Stories of Iraq. Through the public media we see Iraq as a country
that is constantly at war, and imagery such as violence,
bombardments, humanitarian crises and refugee camps are images
that we relate to Iraq. But there is so much of Iraq that we do not get
to see, not through any media, but that does not mean that these are
inferior to the dreadful imagery that we d get to see. In fact, these
images might be a lot more important to receive a better
In this wall of pictures, you see portraits and a painting of people.
understanding of Iraq behind the known images of the war that is
some of the portraits are very official-looking, with people looking
going on.
directly into the camera or having a serious facial expression, while
For you to get to know the country of Iraq behind the war and
others are more informal. The one picture that stands out is the one
violence, and to think about the topic in a deeper, more advanced
in the middle, which shows a little kid in a blue background, wearing
way, we created a quiz in which you will be answering questions,
some kind of hat. The one in the bottom-left corner is a painting of a
while taking a look at the exhibited images. In this way you will,
man on a motorcycle. In the bottom-right corner is a picture of some
hopefully, understand more about what kind of a country Iraq really is
people who might be farmers, in a field. The photographer probably
and you will realize that the image of Iraq goes far beyond just the
made this selection to show that people are still people, even though
war and the violence that we all know about.
they live in a war zone.
The quiz consists of 10 questions. Some of the questions have been
linked to a photo in the exhibition, others have not. Through the
questions you will find the route that you have to follow for the quiz.
At the back of the booklet you will find the answers to the questions
that demand an answer, since some questions require your own
opinion.
Good luck and may you take along a different, sanguine perspective
on Iraq back home!
The quiz will start at the beginning of the room Smugglers. This is
the second room in the exhibition.
Take a look at the photo the Iran-Iraq border, 28 December 2014
.

Question 3.
There are photos of nice events, see the picture of 4.11.2015, a
wedding in Baghdad. But there are also photos of terrible
happenings, e.g. see the picture of 8.11.2016, a rocket being fired at
an ISIS position. What do you think does the exhibitor want to
Question 1. achieve by putting these photos next to each other in the exhibition?
What is the intention of the photographer with this photo? What does
he want to achieve by showing you this image?
Walk into the next room: Iraq: Situations.
Question 2.
What is the theme that the photos in the Smugglers room have in
common?

Walk to the bottom-left corner of the room (see floorplan)


Question 4.
See the photo of 6.11.2016, displaced families fleeing after heavy
bombardment of Iraqi and US pilots.
What do you think is the reason why this picture has been pictured
this large in the exposition?
How long does hatred, for that matter, last?
Question 6.
Which things depicted in the photos show that the people living in
Iraq do not want to disturb the daily life and just want to live their
lives the way they want to?

Walk to next room in the exhibition: A Kurdish archive.

Question 7.
Some pictures in this room (A Kurdish archive) are recently taken,
but some are from the 70s or 80s.
Why has the exhibitor chosen to show you pictures from at least 45
years ago? (Take in mind the al-Anfaloperation from 1986-1989,
where Kurds were forced to leave Iraq.)

Question 5.
What does the quote stated in the room "A Kurdish archive" have to
do with the pictures shown in there?
Why did the exhibitor choose to place this quote in this exhibition?
"How long does a building stand before it falls?
How long does a contract last?
How long will brothers share the inheritance before they quarrel?
Go on to the next room, Area of displacement. Look at the facts
stated on the wall.
Question 10.
What is, in your opinion, the most impressive image in this
exposition? Why do you think so?

Question 8
In the room "Area of displacement" some facts are stated on the wall,
for example "500.000 people flee Mosul in less than a week".
Why do you think these facts are shown on the wall?

Go to Escaped

Question 9.
See the 15 portraits in the room "Escaped". Why are the women
portrayed wearing the traditional, white Yazidi wedding dress?
 mirth and love. By putting a photo of a wedding next to a photo of a
ANSWERS TO THE QUESTIONS rocket being fired, it becomes very clear that Iraq does not only
Q1: He wants to show that for a lot of people smuggling stuff is one consist of war, but also of love and happiness, and as a visitor you
of only a few options to stay alive. This photo is a typical photo for a can immediately see this because the photos are next to each other.
country that is in war. During a war it is usually hard to get the stuff
Q4: Fleeing families is a thing that Iraq has to deal with every day.
you need: food is scarce and daily products are often very
Thousands of families, parents with children and even grandparents
expensive. Smuggling is a way to get the things you need, beyond
and singles, flee the country every day. It has become imagery that
the boundaries the war sets. Just as in Europe, in the Second World
we relate to Iraq. A reason that the exhibitor has chosen to project
War, at the moment in Iraq smuggling has become a way of living.
this image this large in the exhibition, is that in this way it becomes
The photographer wants to show this to the people who visit the
clear for the viewer that fleeing is a big problem in Iraq and is a major
exhibition: smuggling is of frequent occurrence and has become, for
consequence of the war that is going on.
some Iraqi inhabitants, a way of living.
Q5: The quote comes from the book Leadership at the Crossroads
Q2: All the photos in the room have one theme in common: war. All
[3 volumes]. The quote can be found in the chapter Against the
the images deal with the war in some way. E.g. the image of the
Heroic: Gilgamesh and His City, written by Michael Harvey.
smugglers. Smuggling is a consequence of the war: products
Gilgamesh was the fifth king of Uruk, an ancient city in the south of
become scarce and expensive, and so smuggling arises. In the
Mesopotamia (which later became Babylonia). Gilgamesh is best
Second World War, for example, in Europe, smuggling was also a
known for the Gilgamesh-epos.This epos consists of several heroic
way of living for some people. Then, the photo of the fired rocket. A
stories with Gilgamesh as the main character. Harvey tells the
rocket that is being fired does not happen in everyday life, but in a
progression of Against the Heroic, by giving a few quotes through
war a fired rocket is not that peculiar. After all, weapons, shooting
which the characters Gilgamesh and Utnapishtim communicated, of
and bombardments are imagery that can be related to the war. The
which the above quote is one.
photo that is shown very large, the fleeing families, is also typical for
war. Because of war, people tend to flee to other countries. Because Gilgamesh was seen as a great leader: heroic, invincible and not
in the photo you see fleeing families, this photo has to do with war as afraid. The exhibitor may have used this quote in the room A
well. Kurdish archive to express how he feels about Kurds: strong,
powerful and they wont let themselves fight down by others. They go
Q3: A reason for the exhibitor to have decided to put the photos next
on, no matter what, to fight for an independent, Kurdish state, just as
to each other is because he wants to show that Iraq at the moment is Gilgamesh did for the independency of Uruk.
not only war, bombardments and terribleness, but also happiness,
Q6: The photos in the exhibition do not only depict the terrible side of are stated on the wall to make clear to the visitor that every day
the war, bombardments, shootings and so on, but also the more thousands and thousands of people flee Iraq and that it is a big
cheerful parts. Throughout the entire exhibition, you can see photos problem. By stating them on the wall, and projecting the numbers in
of weddings, parties and several religious habitudes. These photos bigger fonts, the visitor becomes more aware of the situation of
show that people want to keep living their life the way they want to: fleeing people in Iraq.
they organise parties, go on to practice their religion the way they
Q9: Yazidis are followers of a syncretical belief in which Christian,
want to and marry the ones they love. They are not busy with the
Islamic, Zoroastric, and Gentile elements are found. Yazidism is a
war, they just go on with their lives as they did before the war
Kurdish folk religion. Because of the civil war in Iraq and Syria, the
started.
Yazidis are being prosecuted and oppressed. In 2014 and 2015, the
Q7: In 1979 Saddam Hoessein became the most powerful man of Iraqi Yazidis have been attacked by ISIS, and they have been killed
the country. His regime made a coarse end to all the political or sold as slaves. The region of Sinjar, in Iraq, has been occupied by
opposition in Iraq. ISIS. The women who are portraited are all wearing the white Yazidi
dress. This is because all the women are Yazidi and the dress is
Starting at the 22nd of September 1980 and ending at the 20th of
traditional. Religious dignitaries are dressed in white, the colour of
August 1988, Iraq conducted an 8-year and very bloody war with its
the Yazidi religion, since it is to represent chastity. The faces of the
neighboring country Iran, known as the Iraq-Iran war. Simultaneously
women are covered, because they do not want to be recognized,
with this war, the al-Anfaloperation took place, where Kurds were
since they are ashamed of what they have experienced.
forced to leave the country and make way for Arabs.
Q10: *your own opinion*
The pictures where this question is about, from the 70s and 80s, are
exhibited in the room A Kurdish archive. Because in the 1980s the
Kurds were forced to leave Iraq, the exhibitor has chosen to show
Kurdish photos from the time before they had to flee, to show that
Kurdish people were actually just as everyone else and to remember
the Kurdish families and lifestyle.

Q8: In the room there are in total four facts stated on the wall. The
facts are in the room Area of displacement (displacement means
movement or the forced removal from a homeland). All the facts
consist of large numbers, such as 200.000 or 500.000. These are
immense amounts, especially when it concerns to people. The facts
 Final layout: Joyce Elzenaar

SOURCES
Picture of the building
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:DOX_Centre_for_Contempo
rary_Art.jpg

Information about the museum

http://www.dox.cz/en/about-us/about-dox

Meaning of the word doxa from which DOX is derived

https://www.biblestudytools.com/lexicons/greek/nas/doxa.html

Information about the exhibition Over My Eyes: Stories of Iraq

https://prague.tv/en/s72/Directory/c206-Art-and-Culture/n10807-Over
-My-Eyes-Stories-of-Iraq-at-DOX

OVER MY EYES: Stories of Iraq

http://www.dox.cz/en/exhibitions/over-my-eyes

TASK DIVISION:
Front page: Joyce Elzenaar
Practical information (A): Joyce Elzenaar
Introductory paragraph (B): Joyce Elzenaar
Description of five objects (C1): Sophie van der Jagt
Floor plan (C3): Sophie van der Jagt
Interactive element (quiz, C2): Sophie Messer
Answers to the questions: Sophie Messer