About
Began his artistic journey in his early years, marked by a natural affinity for drawing and a fascination with colors. Supported by his family, he pursued his passion at The Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad, where he majored in painting. Fadhel's exceptional talent garnered recognition, culminating in the award of the Diploma in Excellence, the institute's highest honor.
He was privileged to be one of only three students chosen to further their artistic studies at The College of Fine Arts at the University of Baghdad, from which he graduated in 2000.
Drawing inspiration from Iraqi pioneers and international artists, he positioned himself among a new generation of innovators. Fadhel delved into Modern Art to find his voice, experimenting with inspiration from nature as a formidable force. These influences have since become the hallmark of his artwork.
Despite facing the adversities of war in Iraq and international sanctions that restricted local opportunities and global exposure, Fadhel's unwavering commitment, fueled by enthusiasm, passion, creativity, and genuineness, allowed him to continue his artistic endeavors.
Following the 2003 conflict, the upheaval compelled Fadhel to seek safety and a fresh start abroad. In 2005, he moved to Amman, Jordan, marking a crucial phase in his career. This move led to invitations from prestigious galleries, including a notable solo exhibition, "Tree," at Dar Al-Anda gallery in 2006, featuring thirty-five mixed media paintings and silkscreen prints that celebrated the vitality of nature.
Moreover, His artwork has been chosen to be part of the five-star Kempinski Dead Sea Hotel's permanent art collections; hundreds of paintings, silkscreen artwork, and mixed media on wood decorated the vast stairs, hallways, and special rooms of that unique hotel.
He continued to make waves by participating in group and solo exhibitions in Jordan, and in 2008, he debuted in the United States at the Delaware Museum of Art during the group exhibition Bridge of Hope. In 2009, his artwork was chosen to be the permanent art collection of the five-star Coral International Hotel in Cape Town, currently called Hyatt Regency Cape Town Hotel. Also, in 2013, his artwork was chosen to be the permanent art collection of the decorating corridors and rooms of the Tangram Hotel Erbil.
His solo exhibition, "Journey of Roots," held under the patronage of the European Union Ambassador Andrea Mathieu Fontana at the time, proved pivotal in his artistic style. Fadhel used over thirty paintings depicting the effects of wars, forced migration, and the diaspora.
He featured the metaphor of the subject chosen to present the suffering of the forced immigrant people in the Middle East by blending the immigrant faces with the trees, fields, and land and the long white lines and numbers of miles as a metaphor for connecting their roots deeply underground from the destination land to the original land, that been reflecting the experience that he and his family lived.
Throughout the twelve years he lived in Jordan, he held many positions in different animation, multimedia, games, and theme park departments in one of the international companies.
Fadhel moved with his family to Los Angeles, California, through job relocation as an Art Manager. He has worked in several companies in the same fields till the present. He contributed significantly to award-winning productions and theme park projects, including Pink Panther and Pals and many other Theme Park and video game projects.
Fadhel continues pursuing his artistic interests in California, his story still unfolding. With a powerful voice and unwavering family support, his future in the art world shines brighter than ever.
Fadhel Dabbagh
Fadhel Dabbagh: Every brushstroke tells a story, each canvas a portal to boundless creativity. More than an artist, he's a storyteller, visionary, and maestro of emotions woven into art.
My paintings are not merely an extension of me; they are me. In them, I travel through the dreamscapes and fantasies that, having bid their farewells to yesterdays, still linger in my heart, holding fast to the beloved memories of my sweet childhood.
My deep admiration for natural beauty springs to life in Fadhel Dabbagh's paintings through organic shapes and natural colors. Trees, leaves and branches, flowers, and fruit combine to create an emotional dreamscape of spiritual rhythm.
Love and longing, loneliness, and fulfillment; are the feelings of my paintings, and they are, to me, personal and honest. Triggered by a single image, my imagination draws me into my inner world. For me, the experience is like reaching into the darkness, discovering alien worlds, and exposing them onto my canvas through my brush strokes.
Combining these shapes from a far distant universe with the deformed reality we’re living each day, the paintings feel as if they exist on their terms, torn between the poles of pain and hope. I let the process flow.
In each case, however, it is evident that the darkness is offset with images of beautiful flowers, cheerful colors like the innocence of a small boy dreaming away in peaceful countryside, long ago and far away.
A story with no words told in color, folding all the collected elements into a moment of spiritual bliss, exposing the enthusiasm and courage I hold deep within my soul. A dream? Perhaps. Once I am through, while my brushes are soaking in water, the painting speaks for itself, and I can only listen.