Issam Kourbaj

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 St Petersburg and at the Wimbledon School of Art. He has lived in Cambridge, UK, since 1990, where he has been Artist-in-Residence, Bye-Fellow, and Lector in Art, at Christ’s College. 

His works have been featured at museums around the world, including Fitzwilliam Museum, Museum of Classical Archaeology, and Kettle’s Yard House and Gallery; Penn Museum, British Museum and Victoria & Albert Museum; Brooklyn Museum, Tropenmuseum, and the Venice Biennale. 

For the BBC’s ‘A History of the World in 100 Objects,’ Neil MacGregor (the former Director of the British Museum) chose Issam’s artwork Dark Water, Burning World as the 101st object.