Launch of 'A Bundle of Reeds: Contemporary Art after the Tigris'

Selim was a young man when he joined Heyerdahl’s project to build and sail an ancient style of reed vessel down the Tigris River in Iraq, out across the Arabian Sea to Pakistan and then onwards to the Gulf of Aden. Fifty years on, Selim has developed his own form of ‘expeditionary art’ in which Europe is no longer the main point of departure. Selim’s recent work, together with his collaborator Hannah Lewis, has taken one of the most elemental acts of making – the gathering and bundling of reeds – as a concrete metaphor for reviving the craft traditions of Iraq, devastated by at least four major conflicts since the time of the Tigris.

This evening Selim will discuss his life and work, in particular the extraordinary project Ark Re-Imagined (2015-present): a community-based project drawing on the metaphor of the Mesopotamian ark which has sought to revive boatbuilding traditions in Iraq. Via the cultural heritage initiative Ark for Iraq, this has already led to the establishment of nine local boat clubs, a maritime museum in Basra, and an exhibition for the 2021 Venice Architecture Biennial, amongst its many outcomes. One proposed future expedition would be on Norway’s Halden Canal.

After the talk, Selim and Lewis will be joined in conversation by Rana Issa and Mike Sperlinger, editors of the new book A Bundle of Reeds: Contemporary Art after the ‘Tigris’.

In addition to the launch in Oslo, OCA will arrange a launch in London

Rashad Selim and Simon Starling in conversation
Ibraaz
December 3, 2026