What the Nakhla Remembers centers on the date palm as a living archive through which Salem Mathkour reflects on southern Iraq, Sumerian heritage, resilience, and the passage of time. Rooted in the landscapes of the Iraqi south, the nakhla functions not only as a recurring motif, but as a structure for memory - its height marking years lived, its leaves holding fleeting moments and stories.
Drawing from traditions of storytelling and poetry, Mathkour’s paintings evoke cycles of growth, endurance, and continuity rather than linear narratives. The palm becomes a quiet witness to life and loss, grounding the work in rhythms of accumulation and return.
Materially, the texture of the nakhla informs the surface of the paintings, translating natural forms into layered, tactile compositions. The exhibition unfolds across distinct series presented throughout the gallery, with variations in scale creating a measured rhythm that mirrors the multiplicity of experiences held within a single place.
