Arts

The tiny Persian Gulf nation of Qatar is often overshadowed by its neighbors. But the country is gaining its own reputation — as a player in the art world. Qatar is on an ambitious construction schedule to build some half-dozen museums by 2016. The newest of these is the Mathaf, the Arab Museum of Modern … Continued

The 1889 Paris World Exhibition included an Egyptian exhibit built by the French to represent a street of medieval Cairo. Meticulously constructed houses and a mosque were arranged on the street in the haphazard manner of a bazaar. Frenchmen dressed up as “Orientals” and sold perfumes, pastries and tarboushes, while fifty Egyptian donkeys–along with their … Continued

Moved by the 2006 Israeli attack on Lebanon, Kinda Hibrawi decided to participate in the humanitarian relief efforts as an estimated one million people were displaced and homeless. Thanks to her artistic talents, she decided to produce a limited edition print inspired by a poem written by the Syrian poet, Nizar Qabbani, and sung by … Continued

The Barjeel Foundation opened its doors nine months ago with ambitious aims: to find the story of the Arab world and share it through contemporary art. Sheikh Sultan Al Qassemi, the co-founder of Meem Gallery in Dubai, non-resident Fellow at the Dubai School of Government and a weekly columnist with The National, created the foundation … Continued

Acclaimed poet, teacher and translator Khaled Mattawa has been awarded a United States Artist Fellowship for 2010. The unrestricted $50,000 grant is one of 52 awards presented this year to visual, design, performing and literary artists from 18 states and Puerto Rico. Mattawa, associate professor of English language and literature, teaches in the Graduate Creative … Continued

Wafaa Bilal may not have eyes in the back of his head, but he will soon have the next best thing to it: a digital camera. The Iraqi-American performance artist and New York University assistant professor plans to implant a thumb-sized camera in the back of his noggin and stream live images from it to … Continued

The “What it means to me to be Arab American” art exhibit continues through Wednesday, December 8, 2010, at the Duderstadt Center Gallery on the North Campus of the University of Michigan. Organized by a student group within the course, “Introduction to Arab American Studies” with Professor Nadine Naber, the exhibit features photographs and artwork … Continued

The directions to Lebanese artist Pascal Hachem’s studio include these enigmatic details: “Near Cinema Vendôme (used to exist – now it is an empty plot). There is a stair (a long one).” Hachem, born in Beirut in 1979, lives and works in a small concrete bunker at the bottom of a large house on a … Continued

Ahmad Minkara of DIA Magazine speaks with artist Jaber Alwan. Your work is centered around women. Who is the archetypal woman you keep in mind in your work? “I am not the first one to paint women. Women are ubiquitous in the history of painting beginning with the Greeks…. I document the female in all … Continued

Lotfi Bouchnak’s exploration of varied genres has propelled him to international fame. Whether he sings malouf music, plays the oud or teams up with popular rap bands, Bouchnak continues to attract fans and win international awards. Born in 1954 in Tunis, Lotfi Bouchnak was a student of the late Ali Sriti. He first gained recognition … Continued