Substantial survey publication of the work of Issam Kourbaj, published to coincide with two solo exhibitions at Kettle's Yard (his largest exhibition to date) and The Heong Gallery in Cambridge in Spring 2024Issam Kourbaj has exhibited worldwide and has works are held in the British Museum’s collectionKourbaj’s artistic practice centres on the ongoing Syrian crisis while encompassing broader themes of displacement and forced migration, conflict and loss Issam Kourbaj was born and grew up in Syria before settling in Cambridge in 1990. Following the uprising in Syria in 2011, Kourbaj has been a constant creative witness to the continuing conflict in his home country, his art increasingly addressing the endemic pain and suffering that accompanies displacement and forced migration everywhere.

Published to accompany two substantial solo exhibitions at Kettle’s Yard, University of Cambridge and The Heong Gallery, Downing College, Cambridge, Issam Kourbaj explores the life and work of an artist characterised by collaboration and endless curiosity. Kourbaj’s art is expressive and alive, suggesting even in the darkest hours the potential for change and renewal.

“How can we grasp the remarkable artistic breadth of Issam Kourbaj? Here is an art so full of invention and purpose that its images and ideas reverberate well beyond the walls of any gallery. Kourbaj’s achievement is to make us look, pause and imagine.

Engaging with his acute and powerful work makes us consider our responsibility for the conditions of others on our shared planet. ”- Andrew Nairne, Director of Kettle’s Yard.