Islamic Tourism Works by Iraqi artists dominate the British Museum's "Word Into Art - Artists Of The Modern Middle East", exhibition at the British Museum which will be on display until 2nd September.
The work of Lebanese, Iranian, Syrian, Egyptian, Sudanese, Moroccan, Palestinian, Tunisian and Libyan artists - 86 in total - is also on display. Although many of the artists still live in their countries of origin, a significant number have left the region and now form a Middle Eastern diaspora. A suitcase with postage stamps reveals the plight of exiles in an unusual work by Said Farhan an Iraqi now resident in Switzerland.
The British Museum organised the exhibition in partnership with Dubai Holdings. It highlights the contemporary art of the Middle East, reflecting issues of identity and politics and the diverse artistic heritage of the region.
The exhibition is divided into four sections. The first, Sacred Script, explains the relationship between Arabic script and the religion of Islam, showing the enduring vitality of the Islamic calligraphic tradition today.
The powerful literary tradition of the Middle East, the enduring appeal of ancient and modern Arabic and Persian poetry, and the appeal of the work of Sufi writers is evoked in the second section, Literature and Art.
The third section, Deconstructing the Word, examines the use of script in Middle East abstract art from the mid 20th century to the present day. Finally, Identity, History and Politics looks at the ways in which the words embedded in these works can provide a real snapshots of history and social commentary as well as revealing reactions to the region's devastating conflicts during the past few decades, including the use of depleted uranium in the wars in Iraq.
Iraqi artist Satta Hashem commented that Iraq has the biggest visual arts movement in the Middle East and other Arab artists have been inspired by it and reflect it in their works.
"After World War II Iraqi poetry and art have played a dominant role in the culture of the Middle East. Life was difficult for Iraqi artists living under Saddam's regime and there was a conflict between those artists patronised by the regime and other artists who were totally ignored. The situation is more confused now and there is no collaboration between the artists inside the country and those in exile".
The work of Egyptian artist Mohammed Abla "No more killing" with striking drawings of policemen is a powerful social comment.
Harf al kaf (the letter k) is characteristic of the work of Libyan calligrapher Ali Omar Ermes, which focuses on single letter shapes. He uses the style of the Maghribi script of north Africa and adds layers of meaning with the inclusion of lines of poetry. The verse inscribed on the work in the exhibition is attributed to Caliph Al Mansur (d 775). It comments on the injustice of society and laments its lack of concern for the poor.
The Director of the British Museum, Neil MacGregor described the exhibition as the first of its kind in Europe. "It reveals that the truths that need communicating to the world about the Middle East are not one but many".
A wide-ranging public progamme, Middle East Now, accompanies the exhibition. Highlights include an international conference on contemporary art in the Middle East (May 20th) attended by artists and critics; a study day on Faith in the Middle East (June 10th) with new perspectives by scholars and writers on the study of Islam, Christianity and Judaism; a series of high profile lectures covering the literature, culture and politics of the contemporary Middle East as well as poetry readings, performances and artists demonstrations. A film season will show the best of recent cinema from Turkey, North Africa and the Middle East.
A fully illustrated book “Word Into Art" written and edited by Venetia Porter, compliments the exhibition.
|