KASPAULES, Farouk
Farouk Kaspaules graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts, Honours, Magna Cum Laude, from the University of Ottawa. In 1988 he graduated from the same university with a second Bachelor’s degree of Fine Arts in Art History and Theory, also with Honours.
Farouk Kaspaules is Iraqi-born Canadian artist who has been exhibiting since 1989. The events shaping political and social situation in the Middle East has strongly influenced his work. He has exhibited both nationally and internationally, including in London, U.K; Bordeaux, France; Gyor, Hungary; Bello Horizonte, Brazil; Santiago, Chile; Amman, Jordan; Cairo, Egypt at the 9th Cairo International Biennial; Townhouse Gallery, Washington, D.C.; Pontiac, Michigan at Munze Museum; the New Museum of Contemporary Art, New York, NY. USA. In Canada he exhibited in London, Toronto, and in Ottawa. He has also been the recipient of numerous grants over the years.
“As a visual artist, I define my cultural identity in context of place and practice of art, employing iconography of mixed cultural (Chaldean/Arab) origins. This tapestry of cultures finds expression in my work in form of imagery and symbolism that are rooted in my cultural formation, and as such they became my visual language.
In my art practice, I address issues of culture, displacement and define one’s identity in relation to location. The political in art becomes an activity that cannot be separated from lived experience. Art production and practice of art are ongoing activities that one completes the other. In my work I strive to relate daily events to broader geopolitical and social questions, thereby affirming the cultural and political identity on the one hand, and artistic position in terms of the political and aesthetic context, on the other.”
Farouk Kaspaules
