Fassih Keiso

Artist in residence, Stockholm, 22 November 2023 – 25 February 2024

Fassih Keiso is a research-based artist who predominantly lives and works between Melbourne and Damascus. His practice evolves from the recurring sociopolitical dynamism of Syrian culture, which he stylistically combines with typically contemporary Western artistic trends through the use of cross-disciplinary methodology. Holding dual citizenship and of dual cultures, he has developed a twofold perspective in his artworks and their frameworks. As an interdisciplinary artist, Keiso focuses on cultural polarity, the diaspora, migration, dislocation, and global political warfare, employing a variety of materials and techniques.

Fassih Keiso

At IASPIS, Fassih will continue to draw from the cultural contexts of his home country of Syria, largely shaped by issues relating to colonialism, war, and post-colonial trauma. His most recent subject matter spans the destruction of archaeological heritage sites as an outcome of the ongoing conflict in Syria. Fassih Keiso holds an MFA from Melbourne University and a PhD from Sydney University. He has been a lecturer in art and design at several academic institutions across the Arab World.

Fassih has received many prestigious awards and nominations, including a scholarship from South Australia University, and the 2022 winner of the Sydney University Alumni Established Category Award. His work has been widely shown, with examples such as: Centre for Contemporary Photography, Melbourne (2023); Art House Gallery, Damascus (2021); MoMA PS1, New York (2020); Brakke Grond, Amsterdam. He is also the author of “The Body in Twilight,” a book concerning contemporary Arab artists in exile.