Deep roots: mining the past to reveal contemporary Arab art

The story of Arab modern and contemporary art is vibrant and diverse, a rich brew of cultural traditions and myriad experiences of modernity. But that’s to be expected, says Salwa Mikdadi, Professor of Practice of Art History at NYU Abu Dhabi; this region has been a crossroads of cultures and creativity for millennia, and its artists have drawn on a rich history as they respond in the moment to a changing world. It’s time for more and better recognition of their work …

The seeds of Arab modern art were sown in the 19th century with the rise of al-Nahda, the Arab Awakening. It was an intellectual and cultural movement that intersected with Western artistic techniques and styles. In Egypt, for example, Mahmoud Mukhtar studied in Paris before returning home to create in 1928 his iconic Nahdet Misr (The Awakening of Egypt), a powerful allegory of national revival. In 1950s Iraq, the Baghdad Group for Modern Art led by Jewad Selim and Shakir Hassan Al Said sought to reconcile the rich heritage of Mesopotamian and Islamic art with the principles of modernism. In Lebanon during the decades that followed independence in 1943, artists like Saloua Raouda Choucair and Aref Rayess combined abstract forms with social commentary, reflecting the complexities of a nation in flux.

Experimentation in modern techniques and cultural heritage continued throughout the 20th century. Faik Hassan returned to Iraq after studying in France to navigate representing the new nation of Iraq. In Morocco during the 1960s, artists Farid Belkahia, Mohammed Melehi and Mohammed Chabâa were the key members of the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Casablanca, a school that developed a systematic questioning of the colonial roots of pedagogy and abstraction and advocated for drawing on tradition.

Women also played a prominent role during this period. The opening in Cairo of the Higher Institute of Fine Arts for Women Teachers in 1939 provided the first opportunity for women to study arts there; Menhat Helmy, Gazbia Sirry and Inji Efflatoun would all become part of an active movement that asserted the role of women in Egyptian public life.

Misunderstood traditions

Why then, has it taken so long for these artists to be properly understood and celebrated on a global level? Is it a lack of exposure, particularly before the turn of the century when galleries, fairs and exhibitions in arts centres were concentrated in the West? Or is it a lack of formal analysis, research and pedagogical promotion in the region – a state of affairs that had not been addressed until quite recently?

The reasons for the relative lack of exposure for Arab art and Arab artists are manifold and complex. But one factor is certainly the lack of documentation and a dearth of public collections. Many works of Arab modern art remain inaccessible, hidden away in private collections or lost amidst conflict. There is no specialized archive in the Arab world, and therefore there is no equity amongst scholars.

Then there’s the overarching mantle of a Western-oriented frame of reference. Modernism as we know it in the West doesn’t necessarily align perfectly with Arab Modernism. For example, many Arab artists studied in Italy and France – but then after the 1950s they also studied in the USSR and other socialist countries where students could receive scholarships, a situation which gave them access to another range of influences away from western schools of art.

There are also certain references used in the West that don’t directly apply to the Arab world. Europe argues that abstract art emerged in Europe in the late 19^th century, but then how should we categorize the geometric designs and elaborate decorative calligraphy that has characterised art in Arabia since the 7^th century? Should we love with a European definition, or expand our thinking to create a more global understanding that also involves other disciplines and other traditions
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The idea of ‘Islamic’ or ‘Arab’ art is often questioned as a Western cultural construct, but there are clear and shared traditions of architecture, decoration, calligraphy, and other ways of reflecting place and faith. If we don’t resolve the complex questions about the relationship between Arab art and the Western canon, we will be missing the opportunity to engage with a body of work that challenges assumptions and offers fresh perspectives.

Documenting the past

Since the 1980s I have curated exhibitions in the US, where I was based for many years, to shine a spotlight on Arab artists – and in particular on the many female artists whose work was (and still is) overlooked.

After joining NYUAD in 2013, I had the opportunity to take this ambition further; we founded al Mawrid Arab Center for the Study of Art in 2021, a research centre and archive dedicated to the interdisciplinary study of the visual arts of the Arab world. Through a range of activities that include fellowships, research projects, conferences and colloquia, plus the construction of a unique digital archive, al Mawrid aims to be a major resource for scholars, independent researchers, and for educational and art institutions.

The digital archive is a key element. Our work of digitizing documents from the 1850s to the mid-1990s has revealed a treasure trove of information. We have journals from the lead-up to the Egyptian Revolution of 1952, and the diaries of artists working during the 1970s in Baghdad, both of which have given us a better sense of the environment in which artists worked. We’re also publishing books of letters between artists, including an exchange of letters between the writer Abdul Rahman Munif and artist Marwan Kassab-Bachi. Material of this nature has helped us notice patterns such as the close relationship between the writers, poets, and artists who formed the intellectual groups of that period. They were very outspoken and shared common concerns and ambitions, a contrast to the siloed life that is perhaps is a little more common today.

Allowing access to the range of different sources – diaries, audio, artworks, books – helps because art is informed by the social fabric of society during those periods. We work with historians, anthropologists, and sociologists to piece together a more detailed and nuanced picture of the period. This access to primary documents is vitally important to rediscovering our past and is inspiring a new generation of scholars to go further and deeper in their research.

Amid the growing appreciation for our past, it is our job to continue with research that highlights those specific traditions that have led to the contemporary moment. Artists continue to grapple with social, political, and cultural issues, using a diverse range of media and styles – all of which is rooted in a rich and fertile soil. Unveiling this tradition isn’t just about historical recognition; it’s enriching the global conversation on art.