Art / News
Sculpture by renowned Kurdish/Iraqi artist Walid Siti installed in Bristol
Right to Climb, an artwork by the Kurdish/Iraqi artist Walid Siti, is said to “express the positive desire of people around the world to improve their lives and find solutions to the problems we face”.
The sculpture has been installed on the Raleigh Road side of the Tobacco Factory, where it will remain until the end of August.
It’s part of a ambitious project by Upfest that sees dozens of artists paint 75 walls across Bedminster and Southville in 75 days.
is needed now More than ever
“The ladder is an ancient tool of climbing that has been used in all cultures at all times,” says Siti, who has exhibited all over the world and whose work is held by many collections including the British Museum, the V&A Museum and the Met in New York.
“It can be used to move from one position to another. It can be used to climb to the top of the roof, or to get to a tree to pick fruit.
“So in this structure I use the ladder to give a hint of some hope for the future, something evolving from a chaotic structure.”
Walid Siti was born in Duhok, Kurdistan-Iraq in 1954. After graduating in 1976 from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad, Siti left Iraq to continue his arts education in Ljubljana in Slovenia before seeking political asylum in the UK in 1984 where he now lives and works – photo: Martin Booth
Main photo: Martin Booth
Read more: Celebrating 25 years of the Tobacco Factory
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