Rana Matloub: Don't dig holes next to the graves.
They were there, I was here. During her studies at the Kassel Art Academy, Rana Matloub followed the Iraq War, which began with the invasion by the US and Great Britain in March 2003. "I remember sitting in front of the television, watching the news reports." Fear, pain, and questions welled up inside her. How were her relatives in Iraq? The news also stirred her own memories: She had experienced the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s in her birthplace, Baghdad; the Second Gulf War in 1990 was ultimately the reason she and her family came to Germany.
During the Iraq War in 2003, current events, reports of the many deaths, and her own feelings began to flow into her artistic work. Sketches, miniatures, and figures made of unfired clay emerged. The theme of death is often present but never intrusive. The fragility of life becomes tangible for the viewer.
Opening on August 21st, 6:30 pm, as part of the gallery festival on the vineyard terraces
Our opening hours during the gallery festival:
Friday, August 21, 2026 | 10 a.m. to 22 p.m.
Saturday, August 22, 2026 | 10 a.m. to 19 p.m.
Rana Matloub, born in Baghdad in 1975 and residing in Kassel, studied art education at the University of Dortmund and fine arts at the Kassel School of Art and Design. In 2006, she was a master student of Professor Norbert Radermacher. Since 2017, she has taught in the art department at the University of Erfurt. In her work as an independent artist, she explores politically and socially relevant themes such as war, gender identity, cultural diversity, and religiosity, primarily through drawing and site-specific installations. She has participated in numerous group and solo exhibitions both in Germany and abroad.
Further information about the exhibition
In the rotunda of the Museum of Sepulchral Culture, the artist presents three independent works. The theme of death is often subtly present, yet never overt. The fragility of life becomes tangible for the viewers.
"The Dead" are figures made of unfired clay, lying among dish towels in a box. The towels are reminiscent of the shrouds commonly used in Iraq, which were no longer readily available during the war. "They are dish towels from my former shared apartment, into which I placed 'The Dead.' Symbolic of the fact that even in war, shrouds become scarce. When you have nothing, you take what you can get."
Drawings from sketchbooks from 2003 are shown as a projection. The drawings were scanned from the sketchbooks in such a way that the following pages are still visible through the scans. "It's not about the individual drawing, but about the process of how one emerges from another, how they are interconnected and constantly refer to one another."
Visitors listen to spoken miniatures (texts) through headphones. These are poetic fragments recorded by the artist herself. "They are inner images that become visible through the words. They are inseparable from my intonation." Sitting on a pedestal overlooking the southern part of the city, visitors immerse themselves in the thoughts and feelings of Rana Matloub.
Visitors are welcome to take Rana Matloub's texts with them into the city. Bags with loudspeakers can be borrowed at the ticket office.
