DOSSIER
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A new spirit of optimism is currently making itself felt on the art scene in the Islamic world. Our dossier keeps you abreast of the trends and issues influencing contemporary and classical art from the region, as well as the work of Muslim artists based in foreign countries
Focus
Ara Güler's Istanbul
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Everyone must have seen them somewhere: highly atmospheric photos of the Bosporus bearing the unmistakable signature of the legendary Magnum photographer Ara Güler. A new book now presents half a century of Istanbul's history through his lens. Nimet Seker on a remarkable coffee table book
The 2010 Käthe Kollwitz Prize Goes to Mona Hatoum
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The work of British-Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum has been exhibited throughout the world and her sculptures and installations can currently be seen at the Akademie der Künste in Berlin, where she has been awarded the 2010 Käthe Kollwitz Prize. Gesine Borcherdt reports
Interview with Almut Sh. Bruckstein Çoruh
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An exhibition entitled "Taswir – Pictorial Mappings of Islam and Modernity" in Berlin brings contemporary art into contact with classical Islamic art. This creates completely new perspectives, changing previous perceptions on Islamic art. Nimet Seker spoke with Almut Sh. Bruckstein Çoruh, the curator of the exhibition
"Shah 'Abbas: The Remaking of Iran"
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The exhibition Shah 'Abbas: The Remaking of Iran, running at the British Museum until 14 June, is a magnificent display of the cultural, architectural and artistic flowering seen in the reign of the fifth Safavid Shah who ruled from 1587 to 1629. By Susannah Tarbush
The Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art
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This summer the Victoria and Albert Museum in London opened its new Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art following a three-year renovation and re-design. The gallery displays around 400 of the museum's renowned collection of 10,000 Islamic objects. Charlotte Collins reports
Interview with Rose Issa
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The Louvre has just signed a lucrative million-euro deal with Abu Dhabi. Critics in France fear a "sell-out" of French culture. In this interview with Lewis Gropp, Rose Issa, independent curator and art critic specialised on Middle East and North Africa, disagrees
Interview with Art Historian Salwa Mikdadi
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This year, for the first time, Palestine will be showcasing its artistic talent at the Venice Biennale, the world's biggest and liveliest contemporary art extravaganza. Palestinian curator and art historian Salwa Mikdadi managed to put the exhibition together exclusively with Palestinian funding. Interview by Irmgard Berner
Contemporary Art in Turkey
Istanbul Off-Spaces – Independent Art Spaces in Dialogue
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Istanbul's alternative artists have begun creating important niches for a dialogue on society: in independent art spaces and beyond the established art scene. Irmgard Berner visited the exhibition "Istanbul-Off-Spaces" in Berlin Kreuzberg
The Turkish Art Scene
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Contemporary Turkish art is little known in outside of Turkey, and inside of Turkey as well, for that matter. A new publication shows just how hard the Turkish art scene struggles about its internationalization. By Necmi Sönmez
Artists in Exile
Parastou Forouhar
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The Iranian artist Parastou Forouhar's parents were murdered eleven years ago. She has been fighting ever since, for a conviction of their killers and against the system in Iran – including through her art. Werner Bloch on a courageous artist
Portrait of the Iranian Artist Shirin Neshat
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Shirin Neshat is probably Iran's best-known artist. In her suggestive, mythologically charged photographs and films, she often deals with gender differences in the Islamic world and, as a result, is frequently accused of using clichés. By Amin Farzanefar
The Syrian-born German Artist Marwan
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The Museum of Islamic Art is currently staging an exhibition of the works of Marwan entitled "The 99 Attributes". The Syrian-born artist, who has lived in Berlin for five decades, is considered a bridge-builder between the artistic traditions of the East and Western modernism. Ariana Mirza reports
Wafaa Bilal's "Domestic Tension"
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For an entire month, the Iraqi artist Wafaa Bilal subjected himself to a remote-controlled barrage of fire from a paintball gun. Internet users shot at the defenseless man over 60,000 times. Ariana Mirza spoke to the USA-based artist
Marjane Satrapi's "Chicken with Plums"
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In her new cartoon novel, "Chicken with Plums," the Iranian artist Marjane Satrapi tells the story of her uncle. It's a melancholy parable of love and suffering, portrayed in remarkable pictures. By Petra Tabeling
The Iraqi Artist Rafa Al-Nasiri
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Rafa Al-Nasiri is one of the best-known contemporary Iraqi artists on the international stage. His work is deeply influenced by the culture of Arabic script, and also by his intensive encounters with artists in China and Europe. Martina Sabra interviewed the artist at his home in Amman, Jordan
Iran's artists made good use of the brief period of opening under the liberal President Khatami. However, the Islamic Republic's increasingly rigid cultural policy is now threatening to wipe out all they achieved at the time. By Alessandro Topa and Roshanak Zangeneh
The Iranian flag and blood-red symbols of martyrdom are among the ingredients which the concept artist Mahmoud Bakhshi-Moakhar uses in his installations. As he told Carola Hoffmeister, in his use of the symbols of the theocracy, Bakhshi-Moakhar is reacting to the social situation in his homeland
How entrenched are gender roles in Iranian society? The exhibition "Naqsh – Insights into Gender and Role Models in Iran" surprises visitors to the Museum of Islamic Art in Berlin's Pergamon Museum with a multi-faceted discussion. Ariana Mirza visited the exhibition to take a look
A new generation of young Saudi artists is emerging, showing that momentum for change is possible even in a conservative country such as this. When it comes to exhibiting their work however, they have only been able to do that abroad. Werner Bloch reports
Syria is largely isolated, politically and culturally. It's all the more surprising then, that the initiative "All Art Now" has introduced the international art scene to Damascus. Charlotte Bank has looked at what's going on and spoken to the people behind it
The Townhouse in the centre of Cairo, opened by the Canadian William Wells in 1998, has grown into an established magnet for artists, but also for children, families and refugees. Amira El Ahl has the details
Art & Thought , or Fikrun wa Fann, is the Goethe Institut's cultural magazine promoting the dialogue with the Islamic world. Click here for more...
"Arab in America" chronicles the journey of an American-born character named "Osama Ahmed Abou-Bakr" who changes his name to the more appealing "Samuel Adam Baker" in order to find a job in America's post-9/11 atmosphere. More...
The Museum with no Frontiers is the largest virtual museum worldwide. It has now initiated 18 virtual exhibitions about 13 centuries of Islamic art, creating a sophisticated online exhibition...
The current issue of Banipal features over 150 pages of poetry and fiction by Tunisian authors, plus an introduction to the country’s literary pioneers with profiles. Click here for more...
