Issam Kourbaj: Dark Water, Burning World

Dark Water, Burning World by the Syrian-born artist Issam Kourbaj was published in 2023 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), with 16 essays by museum curators and other individuals who were inspired by his artwork.

It also introduces Precarious Passage (2016/2023), a limited-edition artwork based on Dark Water, Burning World (2016) and the British Museum publication A History of the World in 100 Objects (first published in 2010).

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; 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.