Maha Mustafa expresses a deep perception within her work that investigates the embodied experience which man has to his surroundings and environment. She re-constructs the landscape in several layers of meaning, addressing oil power, geopolitical instability, environmental concerns, memory, and war. Maha’s work expands beyond sculptures and installations to include large-scale public works that transform urban spaces. She opened her studio during the Iraq-Iran war and later moved to Sweden, broadening her exploration of public urban art. Educated at the Academy of Fine Arts of Baghdad and in Sweden,  

Her art has been exhibited and integrated into public spaces across Europe, North America, and Asia. Notable exhibitions include the Mori Art Museum in Tokyo, Japan; Sharjah Biennale of the UAE; Malmö Art Museum in Sweden; and the MAI Gallery in Montreal, Canada, and Darat Al Funun in Amman, Jordan. Her contributions have earned recognition and support through multiple grants, including those from the Ontario Arts Council Canada and the Swedish Arts Grants Committee. Public projects, including Passage and Field in Sweden, exemplify her ambition to “construct depth” within the urban landscape. These works stimulate imagination, weave together past and present, and investigate our embodied experiences within our environments.


Curriculum Vitae

EDUCATION

2003 Studies in “Light in Urban Space”, Malmö, Sweden

2000 Studies in “Spatial Gestalt”, Malmö, Sweden

1999 Studies in “Public Art Monuments in Residential Milieu”, Umeå, Sweden

1996 Studies in “Concrete Sculptures” Malmö, Sweden

1980-1984 Bachelors of Visual Art, Academy of Fine Arts, Baghdad, Iraq

SELECTED PRIZES AND GRANTS

2023 Toronto Arts Council, “Creation”, Canada

2022 Ontario Arts Council, “Creation”, Canada

2018 Ontario Arts Council, “Creation”, Canada

2015 Ontario Arts Council, “Creation”, Canada

2011 Canada Council for the Art, Canada

2011 Iaspis, The Swedish Arts Grants Committee, Sweden

2007 Ontario Arts Council, “Creation”, Canada

2007 Toronto Arts Council, “Creation”, Canada

2007-2008 The Swedish Arts Grants Committee, Sweden

2007 Ontario Arts Council, “Creation”, Canada

2005 The Swedish National Council for Culture Grant, Sweden

2004 The Swedish Arts Grants Committee, Sweden

2004 Sparbanksstiftelsen Skåne Grant, Sweden

2003 Skåne Culture Grants, Sweden

2002 Bildkonstnärernas Uphovstnättsfond Grants, Sweden

2000 Kultur Utviklingsmidlerna, Farum, Denmark

1998 Immigrant Institute Grant, Borås, Sweden

1986 The Wasiti Biannual First Prize in Sculpture, Baghdad Iraq

1989 The Wasiti Biannual First Prize, Baghdad Iraq

SELECTED PROJECT AND COMMISSIONS

2018 “Soundscapes”, winning public art project, Arlanda Airport, Stockholm, Sweden

2017 “Access”, winning public art project, Metrolinx, Maple GO Station, Maple, Canada

2016 “Passage”, winning public art project, Dag Hammarskjöld’s Square, Malmö, Sweden

2013 “Approaching Red”, public art commission, Concord Adex Inc, Toronto, Canada

2009 “Waterfall Pavilion”, temporary public art, Dunkers Culture House, Helsingborg, Sweden

2008 “Canoe Lights”, public art project commission, Spadina Underpass, Toronto, Canada

2007 “Lighting Ring”, shortlisted public art project, Fort York National Historic Site, Toronto, Canada

2007 “Transition”, shortlisted public art project, TTC Union Subway Station, Toronto, Canada

2007 “Untitled”, shortlisted public art project, Lee Park, Toronto, Canada

2006 “Around Me”, public art commission, Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden

2005 “I’m Waiting”, public art commission, Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden

2005 “I’m Here”, public art commission, Turning Torso, Malmö, Sweden

2005 “Red Line”, commissioned sculpture, Skåne Region, Sweden

2004 “Field”, temporary installation, Folkets Park, Malmö Municipality, Sweden

2003 “Art Fever”, commissioned sculpture, Rådhusets Konsthall, Örnsköldsvik, Sweden

2002 “Art Fever”, commissioned sculpture, Vänermuseet, Lidköping, Sweden

2000 “Lighting Fountain”, commissioned art proposal, King’s Park, Malmö City, Sweden

1999 “Blue Boat”, commissioned public art project, Central Library, Lund Municipality, Sweden

1997 “Water Landscape”, commissioned public art project, Malmö General Hospital, Sweden

1994 “Three Sails with The Sun”, commissioned public art project, Lomma, Sweden

SELECTED GROUP EXHIBITIONS

2023 Skissernas Museum, Lund, Sweden

“Kom som du är! …och andra nyförvärv” 

2021 Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan

“Postcolonial Ecologies”

2014 Malmö Design Center, Malmö, Sweden

“Dag Hammarskjöld’s Square Public Art”

2012 Mori Contemporary Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan

“Arab Express”

2007 Sharjah Biennial, United Arab Emirates UAE

“Art, Ecology & The Politics of Change: Still Life”

2007 Artist Run Centre and Gallery, Regina, Canada

“Boundary Between Two Checkpoints”

2004 Arteast, The NewSpace, New York, USA

“Untitled”

2002 Grinell Gallery, Iowa, USA

“Stroke of Genius”

2001 Kufa Gallery, London, England

“Stroke of Genius”

2001 Faulconer Gallery, Iowa, USA

“Stroke of Genius”

2001 Hotbath Gallery, Iowa, USA

“Stroke of Genius”

2001 Brunei Gallery, London, England

“Stroke of Genius”

2000 Brunei Gallery, London, England

“Stroke of Genius”

1997 Malmö Art Museum, Malmö, Sweden

“Untitled”

SELECTED SOLO EXHIBITIONS

2011 MAI (Montréal, arts interculturels) Gallery, Montréal, Canada

“Looking for Oxygen”

2010 ASpace Gallery, Toronto, Canada

“A Moment Before You Close Your Eyes”

2009 Passagen Konsthall, Linköping, Sweden

“Looking for Oxygen”

2008 Södertälje Konsthall, Södertälje, Sweden

“Ground Zero”

2007 Trollhättan Konsthall, Trollhättan, Sweden

“Checkpoint X”

2008 Gallery Svalunda, Malmö, Sweden

“In Process”

2005 Stafanstorps Konsthall, Stafanstorp, Sweden

“Checkpoint X”

2005 Landskrona Konsthall, Landskrona, Sweden

“Checkpoint X”

2005 Skovhuset Konsthall, Vaerlose, Denmark

“Checkpoint X”

2004 Darat al Funun, Amman, Jordan

“Beyond 100”

2003 Rådhusets Konsthall, Örnsköldsvik, Sweden

“Beyond 100”

2003 Mösting Hus, Copenhagen, Danmark

“Beyond 100”

2002 Växjö Konsthall, Växjö, Sweden

“Beyond 100”

2002 Farum Konsthall, Farum, Denmark

“Beyond 100”

2002 Vänermuseet, Lidköping, Sweden

“Beyond 100”

2002 Valfisken Konsthall, Simrshamn, Sweden

“Beyond 100”

1998 Barbacka Konsthall, Kristianstad, Sweden

“Trampled by time, Babylonia Awaits its Resurrection”

1996 Gallery 2112, Copenhagen, Denmark

“Untitled”

1991 Lilla Konstsalongen, Malmö, Sweden

“Reflection”

1991 Alia Art Gallery, Amman, Jordan

“Untitled”

1991 British Art Council Gallery, Amman, Jordan

“Untitled”

1990 Contemporary Art Center, Baghdad, Iraq

“Untitled”

1987 Baghdad Art Gallery, Baghdad, Iraq

“Spiritual Rituals”