Alkadhi had his first Hawai‘i experience as a Shangri La Artist-in-Residence from January 18-30, 2013. As part of his residency in partnership with the Intersections Program at the University of Hawai‘i Department of Art and Art History, Alkadhi conducted studio visits with university graduate and undergraduate students and presented Quest to Belong, a public lecture on his work. Alkadhi also created a painting during his residency which he gifted to Shangri La.

Alkadhi enjoyed working closely with visual arts students at the University of Hawai‘i and explained: “It was a great experience! I was received with great warmth by faculty and students.” His advice for the students whose studios he visited: “Don’t become too bogged down with the technical aspect of the work. Technique is very important but can always be learned and cultivated. Narrative is what is of utmost importance. Telling a story using stick figures can be a satisfying journey.”

While at Shangri La, Alkadhi spoke about his experiences in becoming an artist: “I always wanted to be a visual artist but it was not an option in Iraq in the early 1990s. So, I chose to study engineering and it was a struggle for me. In retrospect there was a benefit as it trained me to use the other side of my brain. Now I can be a pragmatist when I want and in dreamland when I want. Most of the time, I’m somewhere in between.”

Alkadhi’s earlier mixed media art work is characterized by graphic images and references to the political situation in Iraq. As times have changed his work has changed becoming less political and more painterly.  According to the artist: “Since last year, my work has veered away from Islamic narrative and is moving toward more visual themes.  I am letting the work go where it wants to go. I think I have come to a place where the general human condition is more important to me than the Middle East condition, although Middle Eastern references will always be part of my work. For me it’s all about communication. Earlier in my career I wanted to communicate specific ideas. Now I want to communicate emotions.”

His experience at Shangri La surprised him. “I came to Hawai‘i with little expectation, in fact I really didn’t have a set idea of what to expect,” Alkadhi commented. “I think that helped because I was very impressed. I really appreciated that Shangri La is a collection of thoughts, ideas, and dramatic gestures created for establishing a place that is unique, not anywhere else in the world, even in the Middle East.”

As an artist, he was moved by the visual impact of the place and the collections stating: “Shangri La is such an accumulation of visual effects how could one not be influenced? The best moments are the ones where you become one with the place and your senses are heightened.”

His first view of the gardens at Shangri La brought back memories. “From a personal point of view the experience was cathartic,” he shared. “On the day I arrived for the residency, the view from the Mughal Garden brought back memories of my grandfather who passed twenty-three years ago. He was a professor of 10th and 11th century poetry and literature in Baghdad and something about stepping into the Mughal Garden instantly brought him back to me.”

Alkadhi was also intrigued by the narrative he found running through Shangri La as a place: “I would advise future visitors coming to Shangri La to let go of preconceived ideas of what Shangri La will be or do for you. Come and be rewarded by the experience. Each person will react differently. Shangri La is all about the narrative. Doris Duke combined influences from North Africa, India and the Middle East with her own technical and creative paths. In creating Shangri La she told her own original story.”

View more of Ayad Alkadhi’s work on his website:http://aalkadhi.com/