Imagining the Arab World: The Fashioning of the “War on Terror” through Art

Abstract

Imagining the Arab WorldThe Fashioning of the “War on Terror” through Art Maymanah Farhat (bio) Not since the popularity of European Orientalist paintings in the nineteenth century has there been such vast interest in the Arab world in Western art scenes. In the United States this is evident in the increased number of exhibitions held in museums, commercial galleries, and nonprofit art spaces over the last decade. A noticeable trend in the organization of these events is the representation of the region via themes that can be likened to ethnographic studies or political debates rather than serious examinations of formalistic or conceptual elements in art. More often than not, the exhibition format is used as a platform for exploring topics that have become synonymous with the Arab world and Islam through a Western political lens. This of course points to the late Edward Said’s seminal work Orientalism (1978), which outlined the formation of a multidisciplinary discourse that was shaped by European Imperialism and subsequently informed Western perceptions. And while the effects of these exploits have remained in academia, as well as the arts and popular culture, it is virtually impossible for contemporary curators and cultural workers to shake off the paranoia and xenophobia of twenty-first century America. This sharpening focus on the arts has emerged alongside a shift in global affairs, namely the events of September 11, 2001, and the United States-led “War on Terror” and its campaign for a “New Middle East.” Extending further into Asia with the invasion of Afghanistan and the recent military operations executed in Pakistan, American foreign policy is thoroughly entrenched in the so-called Islamic world. That is not to say that what we are witnessing is a new-found phenomenon in American political affairs, but that it has been greatly intensified and is all the more audacious. And while the United States has been involved in such operations in the region for decades, its cultural sector has only recently begun to take notice. To understand these changes, one must first examine the history of Arab art within the context of the American art world. This narrative can be divided into two distinct periods, before and after 2001. A look at the American cultural atmosphere prior to the United States’ recent launch of military strikes in the Middle East and Central and South Asia reveals a different, albeit equally discriminatory, experience for artists. Although active in the United States for decades, Arab artists have been consistently shut out from the mainstream. Attempting to work within a notoriously exclusionary art scene, many have sought to carve out their own paths, often through independent initiatives and nonprofit cultural organizations. An example of this is prominent Palestinian painter Samia Halaby, who has been based in the United States since the 1950s and is known in artistic and academic circles alike. Although Halaby’s abstract canvases are housed in the [End Page 1223] collections of some of the country’s leading institutions, such as the Guggenheim Musuem of Art and the Chicago Institute of Art, she has frequently turned to alternative spaces to exhibit her work exploring the Palestinian situation. In the rare instances that museum shows focusing on Arab art were held prior to 2001, censorship and politics inevitably factored in. In 1994, Halaby was part of a volunteer committee that assembled a stellar lineup of Arab female artists living in the United States and abroad. The show, titled Forces of Change: Artists of the Arab World, included established artists such as Palestinian conceptualist Mona Hatoum, Palestinian painter Laila al Shawa, and Bahraini painter Balqees Fakhro, and was held at the National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington DC. According to one of the women that served on the organizing committee, the idea of presenting an all-Arab show to an American audience was initially deemed too controversial. Efforts were made to subdue the overall image of the exhibition by the museum, and a struggle to keep the word “Arab” out of the title ensued. Eventually the committee held its ground and the title remained. Other instances demonstrated that even when a museum and organization seemed to be working on an...