They Who Saw Nothing but Beauty

Hussein Shikha's “They Who Saw Nothing but Beauty” was honoured with a Honorary Mention at the Prix Ars Electronica 2026, category Interactive Art.

This project is part of my ongoing research into the visual culture of southern Mesopotamia, focusing on carpet-making traditions of southern Iraq alongside (Shia) Islamic iconography. The southern Iraqi carpet-making craft is hardly documented.

About Hussein Shikha

Hussein Shikha (IQ) works across film, animation, textile, and video game design, engaging layered symbologies drawn from Iraqi heritage and personal memory. His pixel drawings fragment and encode recollection, echoing Islamic traditions of concealment.

Programme information from Prix Ars Electronica Archive. Short excerpt quoted for reference; see the original page for full text, images and credits.

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