Rising stars from the Middle-East region

Ahmed Alsoudani and Adel Abidin, the young artist duo represents their home country Iraq at the prestigious Venice Biennale this year. The two had been sought after at the Venice Biennale, being invited to palazzo dinners.

It’s the first time ever since way back in 1976 that Iraq has opted to take part in the world-famous and keenly awaited art gathering. With the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Syria, all showing up there (again a first for Saudi Arabia), the art from Middle Eastern region was Topic A among the gaggle of aristocrats, celebrities and oligarchs who had gathered for three days of private viewings and frantic partying before the 54th art fair’s official opening.

Mr. Abidin, 38, is apparently the less active networker and talker of the two emerging artists. On the other hand, Mr. Alsoudani, 36, is always keen to express himself, and in his element. He, as the media reports described, seemed to know well every other collector and curator. His abstract paintings often touch on themes of violence, turbulence and war. They are in the collections of Mr. Saatchi and Mr. Pinault, among frequent visitors to his studio.

Curiously, that evening they had met for the first time and seemed as if inhabiting the modern art world’s opposite spectrums - one bling, whereas the other purist, though both agreed about the fast-changing Middle East. In fact, the two are the youngest of six practitioners who form part of the Iraq Pavilion’s exhibition.

They incidentally came of age during the long-drawn Iran-Iraq war, the Kuwait invasion and Saddam Hussein’s rule. Both now are settled in the West (Mr. Alsoudani in New York City and Mr. Abidin in Helsinki). However, their body of works references a collective memory of hardship and strife - in Mr. Abidin’s case, with a subtle touch of wry humor. He stated, denoting the Arab Spring, “The revolution witnessed in the Middle East has made me firmly believe that we’ve the capacity to still believe in our dreams.”