In our modern era, art has become an important tool for preserving events and depicting them away from stereotypes and traditionalism, by adding spiritual features to the painting to make its scene complete and influential on the onlooker. Therefore, the Imam Hussain Holy Shrine invited a group of artists to transform the important events in the lives of the Ahlulbayt (peace be upon them) into artistic paintings characterized by creativity, vitality and influence through the establishment of the 'Husseini Art Division'.

In an interview with Karbala International Agency, artist Hassan Hamza Shaher, head of the Husseini Art Division at Imam Hussain Holy Shrine, said, "The division was established in 2009 and its main goal is to try to keep up with what the world’s artists have achieved in international museums in regards to the religious issue, as we notice that the Europeans were able to make a huge influence in embodying the life of Jesus Christ (peace be upon him). Therefore, we directed our attention to topics related to the lives of the Ahlulbayt (peace be upon them) and at the beginning we focused on the story of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him)."

Shaher added, "All artistic works are produced by Iraqi artists. The Iraqi artist is creative and possesses distinguished skills, and we have a vision to develop the work not only at the local level, but also at the global level through participations in several international exhibitions. The exhibitions may be based on circumstances, occasions, and events, such as the events of ISIS and the Popular Mobilization Units, as well as what visitors experience and their interaction with the massive pilgrimages. These works are humanitarian and expressive and address several philosophical, social, and cultural issues."

The head of the Husseini Art Division at Imam Hussain Holy Shrine explained that "the main skills required by us concern craftsmanship, regardless of the academic level. Art is essentially a talent, and if it is refined through experience and practice, the artist becomes creative, regardless of whether or not he holds an academic degree, even though the majority of our staff are academics."

Emad Bao