Iraqi artist turns junk into portraits
This artist turns junk into portraits
Location: Baghdad, Iraq
Ali Jamal creates images of famous personalities and optical illusions
using felt squares, nylon bags and pieces of colored tape
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI ARTIST, ALI JAMAL, SAYING:
"I am originally an artist and I love painting, but I saw that the painting world is overcrowded. No matter what you offer there will be people who are so many steps ahead of you, so you won't be able to distinguish yourself. So I tried to find my own way and started producing this innovative work. I worked on these concepts to make my art unique."
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI ARTIST, ALI JAMAL, SAYING:
"This portrait is made from nylon bags that were thrown away in the street. I collected them and created this portrait representing a poor child."
(SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) IRAQI ARTIST, ALI JAMAL, SAYING:
"The materials used are simple, like felt, tape, pins, and nylon bags. What pushes me to work with these materials is the principle that I follow, which is that there's beauty in everything, we just need to learn how to notice it and discover it."
