Himat has been living in Japan and later in Jordan before settling down in France in 1991.
Himat has held twenty-five solo exhibitions, of which ten were in Japan; the rest were held in various Arab countries as well as France, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland. He has participated in numerous group exhibitions across the Arab world and abroad as well as in over ten exhibitions with renowned poets, among whom is Adonis. Poets Bernard Noël and Farouk Youssef have dedicated a book to the artist, published by Rencontres. Himat has executed murals in Japan, Bahrain and Morocco.
His works are part of various public collections, including The Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris, France; Bibliotheque de la Francophonie, Limoges, France; The ministry of Culture, Tunis, Tunisia; The National Library of France and The Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts.
Himat has studios in Tokyo, Amman and Paris at La Ruche, an artists’ residence in Montparnasse. He lives in Paris, France.
“I live in four different countries but sometimes I feel like I don’t have my own country. It’s sad but also encouraging because in this way you can go away and reflect. You are always yearning for somewhere else; all the time I’m still thinking about Karkouk. Maybe that’s why I have to travel so much, because even if I return to Karkouk then it will not be the same as in my memories, everything is always changing. Everybody experiences this to some degree. In the words of the Spanish painter Eduardo Chillida, “our roots are buried in one place but our arms reach out to the entire world.” Himat Mohammed Ali.
