Curriculum Vitae

  • Born in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1956. School and vocational training in Mannheim and Viernheim, Germany
  • Admitted to study at the University of Education Heidelberg by way of a special test for gifted students
  • Graduated with a teaching degree in art, geography, and German
  • Started working as a freelance artist in 1997
  • From 2002 – 2005, contract work as an instructor of art at University of Education Heidelberg
  • Starting in 2014, a member of the advisory board of the Heidelberger Kunstverein (Heidelberg Art Association)
  • Member of BBK Heidelberg (Heidelberg Council of Visual Artists) and the Artists Alliance Baden-Württemberg
Photo: Cholud Kassem

Solo Exhibitions

Group Exhibitions

Projects

  • 2024 Inauguration of the project »Art Laboratory Heidelberg« (with the objective of organizing yearly exhibitions with guest artists; sponsored by the City of Heidelberg)
  • 2022 Exhibition in connection with a poetry reading by Dinçer Güçyeter (Winner of the Peter Huchel Award 2022) as part of the series »meets« of the Heidelberg Literary Autumn
  • 2021–2022 Interview film «Atelierbesuche in einer ungewöhnlichen Zeit« (»Studio Visits in Unusual Times«) (sponsored by the Ministry of Science, Research and Art of Baden-Württemberg)
  • 2017 Biennal for Contemporary Photography, Farewell Photography, »Global Players«, curated by Kerstin Meincke, Kunstverein Ludwigshafen
  • 2015 Conception and development of the exhibition »Pellegrino Vignali and Cholud Kassem – an Encounter with their Art« in collaboration with students of the Institute for European Art History of Heidelberg University, with Dr. Thomas Röske, Head of the Prinzhorn Collection, Heidelberg (Winter Semester 2015/16)
  • 2012 Heidelberger Kunstverein, »Welten tauschen« (»Exchanging Worlds«) (sponsored by Innovationsfonds Baden-Württemberg)

Sponsorships and Grants

  • 2022–2023 Sponsorship Award of the Baumgärtner-Engel Foundation, Heidelberg
  • 2022 Project grant from the foundation Kunstfonds / Neustart Kultur (»Artfund / Fresh Start Culture«)
  • 2021–2022 Project grant for the series »Weeping Pillows« and the interview film »Atelierbesuche in einer ungewöhnlichen Zeit« (»Studio Visits in Unusual Times«) from the Ministry of Science, Research and Art of Baden-Württemberg
  • 2021 Project grant »Vasen als Erinnerungsspeicher« (»Vases as Containers of Memories«) from Neustart Kultur VG Bild-Kunst
  • 2004–2007 Artist grant from the Federal Presidential Office, Berlin

Artwork in Public Collections

  • Ministry of Defense, Berlin
  • State of Baden-Württemberg, Ministry for Science, Research and Art
  • Government Council Karlsruhe
  • District Office Rhein-Neckar-Kreis
  • City of Heidelberg