Review: Every Building in Baghdad: The Rifat Chadirji Archives at the Arab Image Foundation

Abstract

Every Building in Baghdad: The Rifat Chadirji Archives at the Arab Image Foundation Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Chicago 15 September–31 December 2016 The sober yet expectant atmosphere of a rich archive, brimming with objects that point to numerous riveting stories, greeted visitors to this exhibition at the Graham Foundation. An array of documents were displayed within austere spaces, mostly photographs by Iraqi architect Rifat Chadirji, curated from his extensive collection previously deposited at the Arab Image Foundation in Beirut (now at MIT) (Figure 1). The photographs, amassed by Chadirji over several decades, capture his design work from 1952 to 1978, alongside various aspects of Iraq's cultural life—rituals, crafts, and spaces—as well as his social circle and travels. The stark presentation of the images suggested a minimum mediation between the archive and the visitor, giving the intricate details, enigmatic figures, and unfamiliar landscapes a striking impact. Figure 1 Installation view of Every Building in Baghdad: The Rifat Chadirji Archives at the Arab Image Foundation , Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts, Chicago, 2016 (photo by RCH | EKH). The selection for this exhibition—focused primarily on architectural projects and urban scenes—was similar to that for the first iteration of the show at Columbia University's Arthur Ross Architecture Gallery, held earlier the same year, but filled a larger space at the Graham Foundation's Madlener …