Activists stage a protest on the eve of Abu Ghraib first anniversary in central Barcelona. (Reuters)

BAGHDAD, May 1, 2005 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Nasir Thamer used to paint scenes of traditional Iraqi life: Arab doors, mosques, the Tigris and Euphrates. But the Abu Ghraib trauma has seeped into his gallery.

“What happened in Abu Ghraib affected all Iraqis in an unspeakable way and as an artist I have to try and express these feelings,” he Agence France-Presse (AFP).

His subjects are now trapped behind bars and the heavy symbolism he employs leaves no room for doubt over the message he wants to convey.

Thamer’s recent collection has everything to do with such themes as oppression, betrayal, looting, bereavement and captivity.

“This is a radical change for me but you just can't escape reality.

“I would've liked to have made an exhibit with more hope, but I felt it was my duty to do something on the suffering everybody is experiencing,” said Thamer, one of the most respected Iraqi painters of his generation.

Iraqi commemorated last week the first anniversary of the publication of the Abu Ghraib photos which triggered an international uproar.

In a report marking the anniversary, Human Rights Watch said the abuses were just the “tip of the iceberg” of US mistreatment of Muslim prisoners.

Stronger Than Words

The horrific Abu Ghraib photos have left a deep mark on Iraq's collective psyche.

One painting sums up the whole exhibit.

A faceless painter holding his brush stands next to the picture he has just completed, reproducing a widely-published photograph of a hooded Abu Ghraib detainee.

Another painting depicts an Iraqi child running away from a US Apache combat helicopter towards his mother.

The corner of the canvas where the woman was painted is ripped out, revealing black bars in the structure of the frame.

A sculpture represents a Shiite and a Sunni praying side by side. A sword that tried to divide the them lies in between, its blade smashed on the ground they share in common.

Last June, more than 20 Iraqi plastic artists organized an exhibition to showcase a remarkable collection of works giving a revealing insight into abuses by US soldiers of Iraqi detainees.

“We have had many wars in Iraq but nobody ever felt so strongly about anything before. The events in Iraq over the past two years are also changing the whole approach to art,” Thamer said.