Lot 47: SADIK KWAISH ALFRAJI (IRAQI, B. 1960) You May Take A Break stamped with the

SADIK KWAISH ALFRAJI (IRAQI, B. 1960) You May Take A Break stamped with the artist’s stamp, signed in Arabic, signed and dated ‘Sadik 2012’ (lower left); signed, titled, inscribed and dated ‘Sadik Kwaish Alfraji You May Take a Break 2012’ (on the reverse) charcoal, Indian ink, paper and rice paper collage on canvas 118¿ x 94 1/2 in. (300 x 240cm.) Executed in 2012

PROVENANCE: Acquired directly from the artist by the present owner. Sadik Kwaish Alfraji’s large-scale drawing, You May Take a Break was inspired by the so-called Arab Spring and the political demonstrations that swept across the region between 2011 and 2012. The work on paper was featured alongside the video animation Sisyphus Goes on Demonstration in 25 Years of Arab Creativity, a 2012 exhibition organised by the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris. Created as part of a multimedia series, You May Take a Break explores the concept of freedom from a philosophical point of view. Alfraji’s recognisable fgure—a black silhouette shown in profle—pauses to enjoy a simple moment of beauty. This image stands in contrast to the video work in which his compatriots march to express their dissent, forming a political demonstration that has no end in sight. For the artist, images of the Arab Spring were both tragic and absurd, much like the story of Sisyphus, who is punished with a futile exercise in determination.