KITAB AL-SIRR (KITAB AL-TAWASIN, BY Al-HALLAJ)
signed Hani in English and Arabic and numbered 6/10 lower left; stamped lower centre
book with lithographic plates, in 18 parts
book 56 x 43.5 x 4cm; 22 x 17 1/4 x 1.5in
each lithograph 42 x 29.5cm; 16 1/2 x 11 1/2in
(18)

Executed in 1998-1999.

Provenance
Acquired from the artist by the present owner

"I avoid interpreting my art. I can explain or justify any other work, sometimes with a single word, however I find myself completely unable to hold on to a specific and clear idea that can be used to explain anything that relates to my painting, even the basic agreed measures, such as colours, shapes, lines, symbols or expressions." – Hani Muthir

Born in Iraq, Hani Muthir is a deeply global artist whose work reflects a personal and spiritual journey shaped by displacement, cultural dialogue, and a lifelong pursuit of artistic freedom. After moving to London in 1990 to escape the censorship of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Muthir developed a singular visual language informed by his engagement with Sufism, international travel, and cross-cultural influences.

In this compelling cycle of works, Muthir meditates on themes of spiritual unity and transcendence, echoing the legacy of the medieval Sufi mystic Al-Hallaj, whose ecstatic writings on divine love and unity continue to inspire generations. His interest in the epic can be traced back to the influence of his teacher and painter Shakir Hassan al Said, who according to Muthir "was a leading member of the Baghdad Group of modern art, founded in 1951, who envisioned a renaissance - creating a distinctive Iraqi movement that would reforge the links that separated artists from the age of al-Hallaj". Muthir’s compositions for the Al-Tawasin (a work whose various sections contain different Sufi ‘teachings’ or ‘Ta-Sins’) blend the figurative with the abstract in giving voice to the text, channelling their mystical heritage through his deeply symbolic palette which draws particularly on his recurring use of black and red – colours that struck him during his time in Japan, and which are used to evoke both presence and absence, intensity and introspection.

Illustrations of books and epics are a constant dimension of Muthir’s work. Upon settling in England in 1990, Muthir chose the narrative of the ancient Mesopotamian King Gilgamesh as the subject of his first exhibition in London, designing a visual cycle which conveyed the enduring actuality of the story’s philosophical messages. "The visual has one language, and it is a small world", Muthir once claimed, and his practice seeks to convey a message of universality, asserting that even in the face of political silence, art remains a necessary act of expression. "We have to say something… we cannot all just wait to be controlled. We cannot see something, and feel something, and not express ourselves the way we know best."

Muthir’s works feature in private collections across Japan, Germany, Spain, England, Mexico, Colombia, Syria, Lebanon, and Argentina, speaking to the global resonance of his artistic voice.

Another edition of this book is held in the British Museum, London, which was originally exhibited at the Kufa Gallery, 2001.