The following is a list of important artists, including visual arts, poets and musicians, who were born in Iraq, active in Iraq or whose body of work is primarily concerned with Iraqi themes or subject matter. Note: This article uses Arabic naming customs: the name "al" (which means 'from a certain place') or "ibn" or "ben" (which means 'son of') are not used for alphabetical indexing. Artists are listed alphabetically by their paternal family name. For example, the Iraqi artist Hashem Muhammad al-Baghdadi, is listed under "B" for Baghdadi, the paternal family name while the artist Zigi Ben-Haim, is listed under "H" for Haim. A Faraj Abbo (1921-1984) artist, theatre director, designer, author and educator Firyal Al-Adhamy (also known as Ferial al-Althami) (b. 1950) hurufiyya artist, calligrapher Kajal Ahmad (b. 1967 Kirkuk) Kurdish-Iraqi poet Najiba Ahmad (b. 1954) poet Modhir Ahmed (born 1956), visual artist Sadik Kwaish Alfraji (b. Baghdad, 1960), multi-media artist, photographer, animator, video producer and installation artist M.J. Alhabeeb (born 1954), calligrapher and painter Ayad Alkadhi (born 1971), visual artist Rheim Alkadhi (b. 1973) multidisciplinary artist Sama Alshaibi (b. 1973) Media artist (video, photography) and installation artist Usama Alshaibi (b. 1969) filmmaker and painter Jananne Al-Ani (b. 1966) Iraqi-Irish photographer and film-maker Latif al-Ani (b. 1932) photographer, known as the 'father of Iraqi photography' Zahroun Amara, world renowned Mandaean niello silversmith. People that are known to have owned his silver nielloware include Stanley Maude, Winston Churchill, Bahrain royal family, Egyptian King Farouk, Iraqi royal family including kings Faisal I and Ghazi, and British royal family including the Prince of Wales who became Edward VIII. Sinan Antoon (b. 1967) poet Layla Al-Attar (1944-1993), artist and painter Suad al-Attar (born 1942), painter Halla Ayla (born 1957), photographer, painter Apo Avedissian (b. 1990) filmmaker, painter, photographer, and writer Dia Azzawi (b. 1939) painter active in Iraq and London Fadhil Al Azzawi (born 1940), 20th century poet B Hashem Muhammad al-Baghdadi (1917-1973) calligrapher Niazi Mawlawi Baghdadi - nineteenth century painter, decorator and calligrapher Ahmed Al Bahrani (b. 1965) sculptor Ala Bashir (born 1939), painter, sculptor and plastic surgeon Basil Al Bayati (b. 1946) architect and designer Wafaa Bilal (b. 1966), performance artist, author and educator C Wasma'a Khalid Chorbachi (born 1944), Iraqi-American ceramist, calligrapher, painter Kamil Chadirji (1897-1968), photographer Rifa'at Chadirchi (1926-2020) Iraqi architect (son of photographer, Kamil Chardirji) D Issa Hanna Dabish (1919-2009) pioneer painter Murad al-Daghistani (b. 1917 Mosul,