Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East

by Lisa Farjam, Saatchi Gallery

“At its best, this candid collection from the Islamic world is inventive and truly fearless.”- The Observer, London 
  
This lavish volume, published to accompany an exhibition at London’s new Saatchi Gallery, is a striking collection of contemporary art from the Middle East. As Lisa Farjam, founder of Bidoun magazine, writes in her introduction, “The Middle East today is routinely viewed through the all-too-predictable prism of strife, oppression and terrorism, which obscures a great deal.” With works gathered from artists of Middle Eastern origin living all over the world, Unveiled reveals a region of dizzying complexity and energy, characterized by diverse cultural, historical and political influences that stretch back centuries. Diana Al-Hadid, Ahmed Alsoudani, Nadia Ayari, Ramin and Rokni Haerizadeh, Barbad Golshiri and Shadi Ghadirian are just a few of the artists whose work is represented in these vibrant, stunning pages.

Genres: Art

208 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Mir · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of difficult to rate of even describe -- there is some art. It doesn't have a ton of commonality beside being recent and by Middle Eastern artists. There is almost no text beyond the name and title, and what there is, is not translated. The photo quality is good, I'm glad the book exists, individual enjoyment is probably a matter of taste.

[ツツ]

Ali Banisadr

Hayv Kahraman

2 artists I discovered that I like from this book. Both modern art with elements from old(18/19th century?) Islamic painting.


I found it bit weird and interesting that both of them are Americans.