56th Venice Biennale Artist
National Identity Officer
Sulaymaniyah · Kurdistan Region
Pioneering contemporary visual artist, curator, founder of the Shunas Museum, and acclaimed representative of Iraq at the 56th Venice Biennale, with monumental works acquired by the permanent collection of the British Museum.
56th
Venice Biennale Pavilion
BM
British Museum Collection
1985
Born in Sulaymaniyah
Museum
Founder, Shunas Museum
Akam Shex Hadi (born Sulaymaniyah, 1985) is an internationally recognized contemporary Kurdish-Iraqi photographer and visual artist whose conceptual works probe the intersections of collective memory, spatial displacement, and traditional craftsmanship.
His iconic work represented Iraq at the 56th Venice Biennale ('Invisible Beauty', 2015) and has been exhibited and acquired by the British Museum in London, the Akademie der Künste in Berlin, and the Sharjah Art Foundation in the UAE.
Akam founded the Shunas Museum in Sulaymaniyah to protect endangered Kurdish folk art and textiles. On EVE's council, he serves as lead heritage juror for the Kurd Artist fellowship, setting international curatorial standards for local creators.
1985
Born in Sulaymaniyah
Studied fine arts and photography in Kurdistan's cultural capital.
2015
56th Venice Biennale
Represented Iraq Pavilion with 'The String Series' curated by the Ruya Foundation.
2017
British Museum Acquisition
Permanent acquisition and exhibition of photographic series in London.
2019
Berlin Akademie der Künste
Solo artist installation examining post-war architectural memory.
2022-2026
Shunas Museum & EVE Curatorship
Directing heritage juries and curating the Kurd Artist national survey.
2015 · 56th International Art Exhibition — La Biennale di Venezia
National Pavilion Representative
Selected for Iraq Pavilion showcase 'Invisible Beauty'.
2017 · The British Museum, London
Contemporary Middle East Collection Inductee
Acquired into the permanent Middle Eastern visual archive.
2020 · Prince Claus Fund (Netherlands)
Cultural Heritage Grantee
Supported for traditional craft digitization in Sulaymaniyah.
Fine Art Monograph
The String Series
Monumental photographic installation on displacement exhibited worldwide.
Museum Institution
Shunas Museum Folk Archive
Curated collection of 18th–20th century Mesopotamian textiles and handcrafts.
Fellowship Direction
EVE Kurd Artist Jury Selection
Judging and commissioning contemporary artistic grants across Iraqi governorates.
“Art is not a mirror held up to reality, but a hammer with which to shape our collective memory.”
“A museum is not a cemetery for antiquities; it is a living laboratory for cultural resurgence.”
