Renowned Syrian artist and author Issam Kourbaj gives a talk on his most recent book Dark Water, Burning World, a new book to mark the 12th anniversary of the Syrian uprising. This publication is based on the making and journey of his artwork, Dark Water, Burning World (2016), chosen as ‘Object 101’ on the tenth anniversary of BBC Radio 4’s The History of the World in 100 Objects, with 16 essays by museum curators and other individuals who were inspired by his artwork.

This book includes contributions by:

Hartwig Fischer, Director of the British Museum

Issam Kourbaj, artist

Anastasia Christophilopoulou, Senior Curator of the Ancient Mediterranean at the Fitzwilliam Museum

Salam Al Kuntar, Assistant Professor of Archaeology at Rutgers New-Brunswick, Assistant Dean of Middle Eastern Affairs at Rutgers Global

Jill Cook, Head of the Department of Britain, Europe and Prehistory at the British Museum

Stephen Cherry, Dean of Chapel of King’s College, Cambridge

Nasser Rabbat, Director of the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture at MIT

Ayşin Yoltar-Yıldırım, formerly Associate Curator at the Brooklyn Museum

Stefan Weber, Director of the Museum for Islamic Art in the Pergamon Museum, Berlin

Sarah Johnson, Curator at The Tropenmuseum, Amsterdam

Simon Schaffer, Professor of History and philosophy of science, Cambridge

Anneka Lenssen, Professor of Art History

Nat Muller, curator

Caroline Wiseman, art dealer

Venetia Porter, formerly Senior Curator for Islamic and Modern Middle Eastern art, the British Museum

Ruth Padel, poet

Free, unticketed. In partnership with Just Festival.

Issam Kourbaj comes from a background of fine art, architecture and theatre design. He was born in Syria and trained at the Institute of Fine Arts in Damascus, the Repin Institute of Fine Arts & Architecture in Leningrad (St Petersburg) and at Wimbledon School of Art (London). Since 1990, he has lived and worked in Cambridge, eventually becoming an Artist in Residence at Christ’s College, a Bye-Fellow (2007-2011) and a Lector in Art.