Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi’s talk will discuss the political undertones of iconic artworks of the 20th century in the Arab world.
Date: Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Time: 1pm
Location: Bibliotheca Alexandrina | Small Theater
Event URL
From the Baathist regimes of Syria and Iraq to Egypt’s pan-Arabism under President Gamal Abdel Nasser, paintings and sculptures in addition to film and performance have been employed by various governments as a tool of soft power to propagate their policies to the public not only in their respective states but throughout the region and beyond. Despite this government patronage of the arts, many artists have chosen to challenge their authorities through their art practices.
This talk is an attempt to shed light on an often neglected dimension in the modern history of the Arab world.