When the revolution broke out in 2011, Egyptian artists were thus well positioned to take on a much more direct, activist role, and many did. Art changed as well, becoming more accessible and purpose-driven. Now, as the tide again has turned to authoritarianism, the unbridled hope of the uprising has waned, negatively affecting art as much as any other part of the revolution. Yet there are glimmers of dissent in the art that lives on, and many reasons to think that Egyptian artists will be part of the vanguard of the next wave of social and political change, whatever it may be. Read more »
Kadhim Haidar: He Told Us How It Happened
In Iraq, popular opposition to The Baghdad Pact reached a climax after the attack on Egypt in 1956. Kadhim Haidar’s, “He Told Us How It Happened,” examines the immense political repression that activists faced during that time. Learn more in this AJ+ episode with Sultan. Read more »
Naeem Ismail: Commemorative Photograph of Lebanon
Watch Sultan’s AJ+ episode about Naim Ismail’s “Commemorative Photograph of Lebanon,” which explores the multiple layers of destruction that were caused by Lebanon’s fifteen year civil war. https://www.facebook.com/ajplusarabi/videos/1406446906065517/
Abdullah Al Muharraqi: Eternal Torment
“Eternal Torment,” by Bahraini artist Abdullah Al Muharraqi is a tribute to the trials and tribulations of pearl diving. Painted in 1982, it stands as a monument to those that lived and died on the seas. Learn more about this painting in this AJ+ episode by Sultan. https://www.facebook.com/ajplusarabi/videos/1400643426645865/?pnref=story
ArteHub Presents: Sultan Sooud al-Qassemi in Conversation with Omar Berrada
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 »