Francis Alÿs to create new work inspired by his frontline experiences in Mosul

The Belgian artist Francis Als will create a new work for the Iraqi pavilion at the 57th Venice Biennale next year (13 May-26 November 2017) based on his recent experiences spent on the frontline in Mosul, northern Iraq, as part of the ongoing military offensive against Islamic state (Isil) militants. The piece was commissioned by the Ruya Foundation, a Baghdad-based non-governmental body that also oversaw the Iraqi pavilion in 2013 and 2015.
Als spent time with a Kurdish battalion in Mosul and