Himat Mohammed Ali was born in Kirkuk was surrounded by art books, poetry and other literature from a young age. Himat first explored the world of poetry as a teen, but then started painting and embraced it entirely, at which point he decided to get in touch with an artist he very much admired, Shakir Hassan Al Said. Al Said saw great promise in the young artist and spent time introducing him to the works of international artists, Sufi poetry and spirituality.
A self-taught artist Himat learnt from observing others, and in 1982 had his first solo exhibition in Kirkuk, followed by group shows and festivals throughout the 1980s. He exhibited his work in Japan in 1990, where he was forced to remain for an extended time due to Gulf War. During this time, he discovered black Japanese inks, Japanese paper, creating completely black and white works. After a short period in Jordan, Himat settled in Paris in 1991, which has been his base ever since.