Adel Abidin (b. 1973) is a multidisciplinary artist who was born in Baghdad and currently resides between Helsinki and Amman. He received a B.A. in Painting from the Academy of Fine Arts in Baghdad (2000) and an M.F.A from the Academy of Fine Arts in Time and Space Art in Helsinki (2005). Abidin uses his cross-cultural background to create a distinct visual language that is often laced with sarcasm and paradox, while maintaining a humanistic approach.
THEY ASKED ME TO CHANGE IT, AND I AGREED looks and feels like it’s an extract from a dialogue; an abstract sentence encouraging various interpretations. It encourages people to think about who they are and what they mean when they ask for change.
Abidin’s work is a humorous take on contemporary art as a collaborative process, based on compromise.
While open to interpretation, the neon light artwork installed at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art has been conceptualized to examine how art institutions are key players in influencing the artist’s conversation with the local community.
