Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri

Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri was an Iraqi sculptor and artist. Al-Dawiri was born in Iraq and graduated in 1993 of Baghdad College of Arts.

Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri was one of the founders of an artist association, called the “Survivors’ Group”. The group has built several statues after Saddam’s fall throughout Baghdad, despite the violence.

Al-Dawiri’s most famous work came after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. On April 9, 2003, crowds of Iraqis, aided by United States Marines, destroyed a massive statue of Saddam Hussein. Iraqis were seen hitting the statue with their shoes and garbage.

Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri was chosen to build a new sculpture in Firdos Square, just a month after the destruction of the old statue. The new sculpture consist of branches reaching towards the sky and a ball balancing on a crescent moon. It is meant to symbolize the unity of Iraq’s three main groups – Shias, Sunnis and Kurds.

Al-Dawari also created a memorial statue dedicated to 18 Iraqi children killed in a suicide car blast in 2005. Ironically, this statue itself was destroyed by explosives only months after its creation.

Bassem Hamad al-Dawiri died in a car accident in the city of Kut on September 19, 2007. His car overturned because one of his tires broke. He was only 34 years old and left his wife, at that time, pregnant with their first child.