al-Azzawi silkscreen Eid card

Description:

This holiday card by al-Azzawi makes use of abstracted Arabic letters that are shaped to also resemble ancient Mesopotamian symbols. Although appearing legible at first glance, the script beneath the crescent shape is indecipherable. This card was likely meant to be folded and written on; many artists produced annual greeting cards as a means to promote their distinctive images and build networks. As such, al-Azzawi’s silkscreen design may be understood as characteristic of Iraqi graphic arts practices in the 1970s.

Attribution:

Dia al-Azzawi

Date:

c. 1970s

Source:

Original from UC Berkeley Library collection