Mideast Art

The Determined Crusader: Interview with Playwright Wajahat Ali

What is an identity? Do we zero in on physical identity, how we look, dress and style our bodies as an expression of our ‘self’? Do we focus on our creeds and beliefs, the religion we do or do not ascribe to? The political agendas we align ourselves with, or the morals that we cling to and espouse in our daily lives? The answer is that all these elements compose how we define ourselves.

Whereas there are no two identical definitions of a Christian, Jew, Muslim, or for that matter an archetypal idea of what an American, European, Arab, Asian, African, etc. is; the common thread that runs through all of them is a complexity of identity.

In the aftermath of September 11th, life in the United States and abroad changed forever. Basic freedoms and commonplace practices taken for granted by Americans ended and new legislations and customs filled their place.

[Dis]locating Culture: Exhibition Preview

In times of political unrest societies can become polarized. Cross-cultural understanding can dissipate to the point of non-existence. With the unrest that is rocking the Middle East in Libya, Egypt and Tunisia, it is even possible for this polarization to take place between countries of the Middle East in relationship to one another.

In the upcoming exhibition Dis[Locating] Culture Exhibit featured at the Michael Berger Gallery in Pittsburg PA, giant causeways that bar communication between the East and West are connected through the bridge of art.

Co-curated by gallery owner Michael Berger and Islamic art scholar Reem Alalusi, and running April 15 - July 30, 2011, with an Opening Reception on the first night, this exhibit is presented in the context of Contemporary Islamic Art in America and will showcase some of the finest American Islamic artists – whether Muslim by faith or not.

As the first exhibition of its kind in Pittsburg to feature contemporary Arab and Islamic art, the show aims to breakdown preconceived ideas and stereotypes of the Middle East, creating a dialogue between the artist and the viewer that humanizes and contextualizes culture, art, and life. Dis[locating] Culture pushes the boundaries of what is Art, what is beautiful, and what is Islamic.

Here She Is To Save The Day! Artist Aphrodite Désirée Navab’s Photographic Narrative

In a new installation of photographs at New York City’s Skylight Gallery, Iranian-American artist Aphrodite Désirée Navab deals with geo-political issues between the Middle East and the United States through a cheeky visual hybrid of idealized American superhero motifs and traditional women’s garments from the Middle East.

In her new photography exhibition Super East-West Woman's Sufi Dance: Egypt, which opens February 28th, 2011,Navab documented herself whirling through Egypt’s capital city of Cairo – armed with her superhero shirt and her chador (Islamic covering for women) which pulls double duty as her hero-cape.

The Art of War

War and times of crisis have the ability to influence art and material culture in both positive and negative ways. On the one hand, they can spawn tremendous works of art that serve as commentary or shed light on the conflict at hand. On the other hand, art itself can become a causality of war; it can be held captive, sold as a P.O.W., raped from its native land, and, – the biggest abomination – be destroyed.

This destruction of the arts during times of conflict has occurred throughout human history. The question is: is it about to happen again? As recently as 2003, art was at the mercy of criminals during the United States invasion of Iraq, with dismal effects on the antiquities that were housed in the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad.

Three Faiths in the Form of a Fugue

Last November, Reza Aslan took to the stage at New York City’s Asia Society to argue that the arts are essential to deconstructing narratives of an irreconcilable clash of civilizations between the “West” and the “Middle East.” To make his case, he enlisted a group of renowned authors, journalists, and musicians to perform selections from his brand-new anthology of literary works, Tablet and Pen.

But that event was merely the opening salvo for a continuing campaign to replace tired images of monolithic, stagnant, and “closed” civilizations with a mosaic of personal stories from diverse artists and scholars.

With the idea that the arts are fundamental to repairing our social and political discourse, Aslan once again found himself at the podium on January 28, this time at the New York Public Library, to host a showcase of films, songs, short stories, and plays from artists of the Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions.