A Poetic Identity Quest

Garden of Murmurs brings together a large body of recent work by Malik Thomas Jalil Kydd. Artworks - predominantly male figures on an “angelic scale”, slightly larger than life - combine painting, drawing and fibres on raw silk sewn into continuous panels, in a dialogue between tactility and the metamorphosis of identity. Kydd paints on thick raw silk, on which he alternates oils, pastels, charcoal, and natural dyes such as sage. Particularly significant is the action of immersing charcoal in linseed oil, obtaining soft and layered textures that refer to the simultaneity between ephemeral and permanent memory. The glazes, occasionally dipped in sage, leave olfactory and chromatic traces, evoking a sensorial and spiritual ritual. The project also reflects the artist’s Iraqi heritage, but does not explicitly state geopolitical contexts: the figure is drawn with delicacy and respect, between stylized landscapes and a sense of loving care. The choice to flow through large extensions of silk, sewn with precision, symbolizes an identity in continuous evolution, which overcomes material and cultural boundaries and favors the emotional and physical experience of the work and where the presence of sage infuses an olfactory component, while the material and chromatic richness invites sensitive contemplation. In a poetic key, Kydd constructs a story that crosses desire, memory, identity, spirituality and physical vigor.