Where are we right now? Is it Near, Middle or Far? Why does it unnerve the West? Why is it sometimes referred to as “the region” (for lack of a better name)? What are its borders and coordinates exactly? Does it have a centre? Centres? Has fuzziness about its borders brought on confusion about what it actually is? Are we still so dis-orient-ed? Read more »
Videos
Internazionale a Ferrara 2012 – Maryam Al-Khawaja e Sultan Al Qassemi
Maryam Al- Khawaja and Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi discuss the present and future condition of the so-called Arab Spring, focusing on key-countries such as Egypt and on themes less discussed, such as the influence of regional actors on these various movements. Read more »
Drawing Nationalism: Where do artists belong?
In this panel discussion, we explore the relationship between art and national identity, as well as the role of contemporary artists in both perpetuating and destabilizing ideas of nationalism in our globalized world. Read more »
Prospects for More Dubai Bailouts
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi talks with Bloomberg’s Margaret Brennan about Abu Dhabi’s agreement to provide $10 billion to help Dubai World avoid defaulting on a $4.1 billion bond payment, and the prospects for additional bailouts in Dubai. Read more »
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi and the Future of Journalism
During the 2012 Global Art Forum, the Mathaf Arab Museum of Modern Art challenges Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi to forecast the future of journalism. Watch the video interview. Read more »
The Social Media Spring?
Commentator Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi describes the ways in which the medium of social media has played an instrumental role in the ‘Arab Spring’, and whether history will over- or under-emphasise its political significance. Read more »