Rushdi Anwar is a visual artist, researcher, silent activist, community engager, and social equity seeker. He lives between Melbourne (Australia) and Chiang Mai (Thailand). Originally from Halabja, Kurdistan (Kurdistan-Iraq), his work often reflects on the socio-political issues of Kurdistan, Iraq, and The Middle East. He draws from personal experiences and memories, poetically reflecting on contemporary issues of displacement, identity, conflict, and trauma endured under colonial and ideological regimes. Based on his background as a Kurd, who has lived through the recent violence of this region, his works reference both current and historical geopolitical unrest that extends and generates discourse concerning the status of social equity—exploring these issues by investigating form, material and processes of making. His installation, sculpture, painting, photography and video practice recall the everyday plight of socio-political persecution, fundamentally expressing the necessity for care, attention and redemption.

He currently works in the Faculty of Fine Arts, Chiang Mai University, Thailand.