How Ayad uses bronze to express his sense of 'freedom' in his adopted homeland

Iraqi-born artist and sculptor, Ayad Alqaragholli, is renowned for his bronze sculptures with 44 now located in public spaces across Australia as well as in China and South Korea.

Artist, Ayad Alqaragholli (inset), with his scupture entitled "Our Love Touch the Sky" at Bondi Beach in Sydney. Credit: Supplied

Key Points

• Artist Ayad Alqaragholli migrated to Australia from Iraq in 2005.
• His bronze sculptures are located across Australia as well as in China and South Korea.
• He says the repeated theme of 'flying' human forms symbolise the freedom, peace and love he has found in his new country.

Ayad Alqaragholli, a multi award-winning sculptor, told SBS Arabic24 that what distinguished his works was the "slim" shape of the characters depicted and that many appeared to be “flying" to symbolise freedom.

Alqaragholli's "Arrive to Paradise 2012" sculpture is located in Subiaco, a suburb of Perth. Credit: Supplied

He added, "My works have been placed in public areas for their rich beauty and human values, especially freedom."

To date, he has four sculptures in Sydney, two in Canberra, one in Melbourne and 37 in Perth.

The artist, who won the 2007 Outstanding Learner - New Learner Migrant award and the 2008 New Faces Fine Art Award, also has sculptures in China and South Korea.

He said the majority had been deliberately erected on beach fronts because of his affinity with the water.

“When I was in Iraq, I lived close to the Tigris River. My house was only 50 metres from the river, and when I arrived in Australia, I maintained that, as I still live near the water,” he said.

Ayad Alqaragholli Credit: Supplied

He migrated to Australia via Jordan from Iraq in 2005, having previously studied sculpture at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad. He said he had continued his studies at Curtin University in Perth to learn about the history of Australian art.

"My memory carries a lot of observations from my childhood through to my new homeland and peace in Australia ... some things are sad and some things are happy but all end with peace," he said.

"In the past, my artwork meant sadness and in the present it means peace."

He said one of the most impressionable sights of his early days living in Perth was seeing two lovers kissing by Cottesloe Beach.

The “We are all my Life” sculpture which won the EY People's Choice Prize at the 2020 Sculptures by the Sea. Credit: Supplied

It was a sight I would never have seen on the streets of Baghdad, for example, and it was such a beautiful moment symbolising both freedom and joy.

Ayad Alqaragholli

Playing among the ruins of an ancient city

He said he was first inspired to become an artist after finding ancient ceramics in the Sumerian region of southern Iraq near his then home town of Ur.

"As a seven-year-old, I went to the area with my cousin to play soccer but I became more interested in the calligraphy and figures on tablets and ceramics in the old city of Lagash," he said.

He said he was intrigued at how artefacts had survived almost 3,000 years and determined to one day create his own art in bronze that would "last forever".

He said he had adopted the idea of the simple, human figure he noticed as being central to the cave drawings, carvings and later sculptures he saw in Sumeria.

Alqaragholli's sculptures are often located near water.

The sculptor said he also gave Arabic names to his works because this bestowed an "identity".

“The Arabic language is a sweet, poetic, and very beautiful language, and thus it gives room for naming that the English language does not allow,” he said.

Alqaragholli said his work was inspired by both his Iraqi and Arab culture.

“All my works express my culture and roots because it is important for an artist to adhere to his roots,” he said.

The "Highness" sculpture sits in front of the world's longest bridge in Qingdao, China. Credit: Supplied

Alqaragholli pointed out that a large part of his success was due to the fact that Australia was a country of cultural pluralism, that it accepted others, and that the society here "celebrated new cultures".

He is now working on a sculpture entitled "Propose" for the next Sculpture by the Sea exhibition at Cottesloe Beach in March.

"(It depicts) a female and male balancing on a circle representing a wedding ring and captures the happy moment that leads to creating a family and building on a foundation of love, loyalty and peace forever," he said.

Ayad Alqaragholli (R) with the founder of Sculptures by the Sea, David Handley (L), who has also been an avid supporter of Alqaragholli's work over the years. Credit: Supplied

Alqaragholli has been exhibiting at Sculpture by the Sea for 13 years and credited the exhibition for giving him his start in the Australian art world.

The exhibition, held at Cottesloe and Bondi beaches every year, features works by around 70 artists from across the world including Japan, South Korea, parts of Europe and the United States.

Alqaragholli in his workshop with his latest sculpture entitled "Propose". Credit: Supplied