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Joseph's Coat
© Muhammed Sami/Bildupphovsrätt 2025
Joseph's Coat
Joseph's Coat
Photo: Tobias Fischer/Moderna Museet

Joseph's Coat

by Mohammed Sami
Artist (Irak, född 1984)
Alternate Title
  • Josefs rock
Date2020
MediumAcrylic on linen
DimensionsBildmått: 155 × 135,2 cm Yttermått: 155,3 × 135,2 × 5 cm
ClassificationPaintings
Credit LinePurchase 2021 (Swedish Acquisitions 2021)
Object NumberMOM/2021/276
CollectionsSvenska förvärv 2021
The artwork is not on display
About the artworkThis painting almost looks like an abstract, monochrome composition. But what we see in Joseph’s Coat is the blue reverse side of a garment. In his work, Mohammed Sami draws attention to the objects instead of the dramatic events they are part of. Often, his paintings hint at violence. The coat fabric seems to have been exposed to something – is it a silent witness? The title alludes to the story of the coat of Joseph from the Quran and the Old Testament. In the painting, and in the religious stories, the coat symbolises deceit, loss and trauma. With this work, Sami invites slow observation, where each one of us can use the coat as we wish.
 Signatures, inscriptions and marks Signerad på dukens baksida: Mohammed Sami 21 Selected exhibition history Nyförvärvsutställningen (den 5 februari 2022 - den 14 augusti 2022) Moderna Museet, Stockholm