The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago has added Sheikh Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi to its board of trustees. Along with his new position on the board, Al Qassemi will also act as a co-chair of the Global Vision Initiative, which was created to support contemporary art and artists from the Middle East, South Asia, Africa, and Latin America. Read more »
Arts & Culture
100 Masterpieces of Modern and Contemporary Arab Art
Damn Magazine, an independent publication with open-minded views on the interchangeable worlds of design, architecture and art reviews Barjeel’s show at the Institut du Monde Arabe in the summer of 2017. Read more »
Gazbia Sirry: The Nubian Family
Egyptian artist Gazbia Sirry’s, “The Nubian Family,” captured the moment of displacement of thousands of residents by the flooding caused by the construction of the Aswan Dam. In 1962, artists throughout Egypt were invited to capture the moment. Instead of painting the construction of the dam itself, Sirry chose to pay homage to the villagers that lived there. Find out more in this AJ+ Arabic piece with Sultan. Read more »
The Politics of Egyptian Fine Art
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. لوحة+ | تذكارية من لبنان سياسيون ومقاتلون في حفلة تنكرية على مسرح لبنان، في لوحة+ Sultan Sooud Al-Qassemi Posted by عربي +AJ on Friday, May 5, 2017