Kuwait Shuts Down an Art Exhibit. Is the ‘Most Open’ Gulf Society Closing?
Artists believe the shuttering of Shurooq Amin’s show by Kuwaiti authorities is the latest indicator of the country’s decline in freedom of expression.
The Value of Creativity in the Mediterranean Cauldron
An Italian professor suggests that those living in the Mediterranean region take their natural tendency toward creativity as a philosophy and way of life and invest in it even more.
A New York Exhibition Unravels the Complexities of Contemporary Algerian Art
Waiting for Omar Gatlato, the first major survey of contemporary Algerian art in the United States, asserts the need to consider the cultural specificity of art from postcolonial nations.
Land Art in the Desert: A Dramatic Exhibition Challenges Artistic Ideas
An exhibition at Al Ula, in Saudi Arabia, put Arab and international artists in dialogue with one another, the local community and the land. It didn’t happen without controversy, however.
New Cairo Museum Honors Naguib Mahfouz but Doesn’t Inspire
Egypt celebrates its most famous modern writer in the long-delayed museum, which finally opened last year. Visitors may wish, though, that it had taken a more engaging approach.
Devastated Middle Eastern Heritage Sites Are Recreated Digitally
At a virtual exhibition, museum-goers can experience four of the most famous historical sites in the Middle East.
A ‘Horizon of Infinity’: The Promise of Arab Abstract Art
An exhibition in New York makes the case that Arab artists developed abstraction in parallel with Western achievements rather than as a derivative example of the genre.
Scholars Consider What Popular Culture Means in Egypt Today
A symposium focused on the challenges of producing, sharing and conserving popular culture in an age of heightened official oversight and lingering nostalgia for the past.
A Podcast Takes Listeners on Tours of Arabic Music
Dom Tak, a pioneering podcast about Arabic popular music and history, is embarking on its second season.
Kuwaiti Group Seeks to Nurture Creativity by Changing Mind-Sets
Nuqat, an independent foundation, encourages creative thinking to solve problems in the Arab world through education and youth skills development.
