Right to Climb, an artwork by the renowned Kurdish/Iraqi artist Walid Siti, expresses the positive desire of people around the world to improve their lives and find solutions to the problems we face.

“The ladder is an ancient tool of climbing that has been used in all cultures at all times. It can be used to move from one position to another. It can be used to climb to the top of the roof, or to get to a tree to pick fruit. So in this structure I use the ladder to give a hint of some hope for the future, something evolving from a chaotic structure.”  Walid Siti

Film by Candida Richardson

About Walid

Walid Siti has exhibited all over the world and his work is held by many collections, including the British Museum, V&A Museum and Metropolitan Museum NYC. His work was exhibited at the RWA Bristol as part of the Refuge and Renewal exhibition in 2019/2020. Siti was born in Duhok, Kurdistan-Iraq in 1954. After graduating in 1976 from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad, Siti left Iraq to continue his arts education in Ljubljana, Slovenia before seeking political asylum in the UK in 1984 where he now lives and works.

Curated by Vicky Richardson

The installation can be seen as part of Upfest 2021, from 1st of July until the end of August at Tobacco Factory, on Raleigh Road.

With support from Hidden Gallery