Oded Halahmy: Exile is Home

Like countless New Yorkers who arrived from distant lands, Oded Halahmy has a rich personal history of exile, migration and travels. Born in the old city of Baghdad in 1938, the artist came from a family of Orthodox Jews with deep roots in ancient Babylonian culture. He refers to his home as the “land of wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives and dates.” Although New York has been his home for over 45 years, memories of Iraq left an indelible imprint on his life and work. Known for his dynamic yet often playful figurative sculptures in wood and bronze, he fills his work with images — albeit abstracted from reality — that evoke the landscape, architecture and rich colors of the Middle East.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.