"THE militias said this was offensive and un-Islamic," Thamir Alkhafaji says pointing to a classical nude at the centre of his ceramic murals. "But this is art - it is like Degas' studies of the human form - it is not pornography."

Forced to flee Baghdad in 2006, as religious violence and conservatism swept through his home city, Alkhafaji has now settled in west London where this week he takes a major step in restarting his career with the opening of his first solo show in the UK, at Fulham's Artiquea Gallery.

Alkhafaji, 59, was a celebrated ceramic artist in Iraq, winning acclaim across the Middle-East for his work, making a good living from commissions and running his own studio.

Now, as a refugee in London, he uses the kiln and studio Sands End Community Centre for a few hours at a time, taking about two weeks to sculpt, bake and then glaze each mural, dish or sculpture.

But for an artist born, trained and brought-up in the difficult political atmosphere of Iraq, he is accustomed to working in adversity.

When the militias decided his work was heretic, it was not the first time Alkhafaji had faced the prospect of upsetting those who rule by the gun.

Alkhafaji, who lives in Goldhawk Road with his wife and two of his sons, says most of his career has been spent walking a tightrope between staying true to the principle of artistic freedom and avoiding falling foul of those in power.

During Saddam Hussein's rule, every Iraqi artist was ordered to give the dictator a work of art for his birthday.

The notoriously unpredictable dictator would inspect the works and months later send word of his opinion.

Alkhafaji's style and skill appears to have appealed to the taste of the former dictator - a dubious honour - but one which lead to major commissions for Saddam's palaces including in Mosul where he installed a vast (55mx3.5m) mural - much of which is now in ruins after Americans took over the building as a base.

"But it was not political work," he explains. "I was not a Baathist (a member of Saddam's party). But I had to work in a country where you could be killed for disloyalty. So I used letters, simple Arabic caligraphy, not in words - because that will be used as a political statement - but just the form of the letter as a way to express things without being constrained by the politics of the time."

"Saddam must have liked it because usually he paid most artists to make pictures of him or famous battle scenes, but he let me carry on with my work."

It is an artistic context which British artists would find hard to understand, but Elfat Darwich, director of the Artiquea Gallery, on Wandsworth Bridge Road, says it has added subtlety and individuality to Alkhafaji's work.

"The use of letters and shapes is very clever," she explains. "He refers to Iraqi history and Islamic artistic styles with the colours and forms but is at the same time very modern. That's why we wanted him to do the solo exhibition."

And with all things Middle-Eastern currently the vogue for western buyers and art lovers the Syrian-born gallery owner is confident Alkhafaji's works will become popular.

For his part, the artist is determined to establish himself in the UK, after a difficult few years building a life far away from home.

"It's not about money - but as an artist you want to be known and people to see your work wherever you are."

Thamir Alkhafaji - 'Memories of Turquoise' until May 31, free at the Artiquea Gallery, 82 Wandsworth Bridge Road, SW6 2TF, www.artiquea.co.uk