The conversation will cover the current Sharjah Bienniel and recently concluded 10th edition of Art Dubai, Omar’s experience editing ArteEast’s recent Quarterly on race in the Arab world while curating the blockbuster Abraaj Group Art Prize, and what’s next in contemporary creative expression in the MENA region. Read more »
Spotlight on the Gulf: Rise of Gulf Cities, Globalization, and National Identities
At NYU, Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi and Matthew MacLean discuss the rise of the Arab Gulf states in the regional pecking order and how these shifts have produced powerful national identities in Gulf states. Read more »
Kamal Ishag: The Zār (Exorcism)
In this painting by the pioneering modernist Sudanese artist Kamala Ibrahim Ishaq, a spiritual ceremony from the Sudan where women are believed to be exorcised is depicted through the artist’s signature crystalist style. Learn more by watching this AJ+ Arabic video hosted by Sultan. Read more »
How the CIA Secretly Funded Arab Art to Fight Communism
Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, details began to emerge about the CIA’s covert role in using art as a tool for political ends during the Cold War. But while much is known about CIA funding for American art during the Cold War, their support for Arab art during the same period has rarely been discussed. Read more »
Afifa Aleiby: War Painting
In this episode of AJ+ Arabic, Sultan takes a classic look at Afifa Luaibi’s powerful painting, “The Destruction of Iraq,” which was painted around the time of the 1991 Gulf War. Read more »
Adham Ismail: The Refugees
“Refugees,” a painting by Syrian painter Adham Ismail is the focus of Sultan’s exploration in this AJ+ Arabic story. The painting pays tribute to the struggle of Palestinian families that were forced to leave their homes in the Nakba of 1948. Read more »