Quantcast
Channel: Raconteur » Art & the Gulf
Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 7

Art renaissance in the Middle East

0
0

CONVULSION Ali Khadra, editor of Canvas Magazine, defines who matters and what matters in Middle Eastern art now

With the world’s attention focused on the political upheaval currently sweeping the Arab world, I’m reminded of similar convulsions that took place on the region’s art scene less than a decade ago. For we have witnessed a similar revolution in Middle Eastern art in the last few years, a phenomenon that has opened the eyes of the outside world to the creativity of our region, as well as forced us to look at who we are. It’s been a time of renaissance and increased self-awareness all round.

Back in the bleak days of late 2001, post-9/11, the creativity of the Middle East was somehow stultified, almost dormant. Sure, there were artists doing great work, but with a few exceptions they were little known outside their immediate circle or country. International recognition of their achievements was minimal, there were hardly any galleries or museums showing contemporary art in the region, the local art scene was negligible and particularly so in the Gulf states.

What did exist was way under the international radar and much of it was barely art think endless daubs of deserts, horses and falcons. At that time the only serious art from the Middle East comprised either Islamic calligraphy or orientalist painting the latter of course almost always the work of European artists rather than homegrown talent. I can count on the fingers of one hand the number of buyers at that time who were interested in modern art from the region, let alone contemporary works, which really were terra incognita.

How things have changed. Now the Middle East can claim one of the world’s most vibrant contemporary art scenes, with genuine artistic talent bursting forth from countries right across the region. Eye-watering sums of money are being spent on art and on the infrastructure required to support an art scene. Abu Dhabi, the UAE capital, is investing a whopping $27 billion on Saadiyat Island, a purpose-built cultural hub that will host a barrage of art venues, including a Louvre and a Guggenheim. Qatar is also pouring money into a network of impressive museums.

Meanwhile galleries are opening up all over the region Dubai alone now has 26 and the number is rising all the time. Art fairs have become established in Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Beirut and Istanbul the list goes on. And, if further evidence were needed that there’s money in the region’s new art, the auction houses have moved in and are holding regular sales of Middle Eastern art, both in the region and outside.

There are many reasons for this great turnaround, but the trauma of 9/11 is relevant. Many of us in the region felt the need to find a way to express and promote a different and more positive side of the Middle Eastern personality than that tragic event purported to portray. We wanted to connect to the well of creativity that we knew was there but which was largely untapped and unappreciated, both by domestic audiences and those outside. In the same way that Arab political aspirations are pouring forth on the streets today, so the pressure cooker of artistic talent needed to be vented.

There are some key points to note in what has become a large and highly diverse scene. First and foremost, the artistic out pouring across the Middle East is not just restricted to the region geographically, for it includes also artists from the diaspora, the millions of Arabs, Turks and Iranians who live away from the land of their birth, in Europe, North America and elsewhere. Some of the hottest names right now, such as Shirin Neshat, Dia Azzawi, Hussein Madi, Samia Halaby and Parviz Tanavoli, are all artists who have effectively spent time in exile either self-imposed, enforced or simply happenstance – from the countries of their birth. Second, and most encouragingly, Middle Eastern artists are addressing as wide a variety of themes as their counterparts anywhere in the world.

While issues connected with identity, belonging and a “lost” home land loom large especially for the diasporic artists – an increasingly number of creative voices are also looking at more immediately contentious concerns, such as the position of women, the role of religion, politics (whether in terms of representation, oppression or the international predicament) and the impact of war and civil strife.

In terms of leading the field, there’s no doubt that Iranian artists have been commanding the headlines recently and are producing innovative and insightful work that gives us perhaps the best entrée into a complex and culturally enriching nation.

Coming up fast on the rail is Turkish contemporary art, perhaps the hottest genre of all right now, with works by figures such as Nazif Topçuoğlu, Haluk Akakce, Taner Ceylan and Kutluğ Ataman expressing with power and elegance the eternal Middle Eastern dilemma of straddling two worlds.

As for quality, there’s no doubt that the very best of Middle Eastern art can hold its head proud alongside the international greats. Regional icons like Neshat, Walid Raad, Ghada Amer, Monir Farmanfarmian, Mona Hatoum and Farhad Moshiri command worldwide attention, with more recent arrivals such as Rokni and Ramin Haerizadeh, Ayman Baalbaki, Kader Attiah, Reza Derakshani, Marwan Sahmarani, and Youssef Nabil storming to creative, critical and commercial success.

Yet the scramble that has characterised the Middle East contemporary market in recent years has thrown up a host of problems. There has been an ungratifying rash of imitations, for example, derivative works spurred on by wealthy but ill informed collectors who don’t do their research and buy with little advice or, worse, bad advice. This is a dangerous phase in the development of any art scene, and we’re seeing it right now in the Middle East.

The early commercialisation of the sector proved to be a mixed blessing. As prices rocketed, so some artists started selling direct, a move prompted at least in part by the lack of galleries, which are essential for advising and nurturing artists. The market also became very hyped, with prices rising beyond what was realistic. Some people call what followed a crash, but to my mind it was a natural readjustment and one that was also linked to the wider economic environment. The property boom-and-bust witnessed by Dubai for example has been mirrored by a similar roller-coaster ride with art prices. Things have calmed down now, but the region’s art sector remains uneven and embryonic in many respects. We’re still playing catch up and what’s needed now is some plugging of gaps.

We need still more galleries, more homegrown curators, more any non-profit spaces, more education and, most importantly, real market stability to get our runaway train back on track.

Meanwhile, as the cadre of artists overall has grown in number and stature, so has the regional art audience. Never before has it been so discerning and critical, and I believe that this change will prove among the most meaningful and enduring aspects of the Middle East’s art craze.

People in the region and I don’t just mean the super-rich collectors are moving beyond viewing art simply as a decorative aspect to their homes. They now value it for what it says about them, their heritage, culture, current situation and relationship to the outside world. That can only be good, and all our lives richer as a result. 

 

 


Viewing all articles
Browse latest Browse all 7

Latest Images

Trending Articles





Latest Images