Shirin Neshat Explores Power, Identity and Societal Roles in the Islamic World 

"Ghada and Sayed", taken from the "Our House is on Fire" series, 2013. Digital C-print and ink.

“Ghada and Sayed”, taken from the “Our House is on Fire” series, 2013. Digital C-print and ink.

An exhibition of Iranian-American artist Shirin Neshat’s works at the Hirshorn Museum in Washington, DC wrapped up last month after garnering much acclaim. Running from May 18th – September 20th, 2015, the exhibit, entitled Facing History, featured a handful of Ms. Neshat’s iconic pieces in both photographic and video form and integrating snippets of Iranian history and perceptions of the Islamic world throughout.

Based in New York, Ms. Neshat was born in Qazvin, Iran in 1957 and lived there until she left to the US for art school during the Iranian Revolution, settling in Los Angeles for the duration of her academic career.

Continue reading

Advertisement

Filipino Painter/Art Collector Alfonso Ossorio, Inspired by Jackson Pollock, On Display With Contemporaries in “Angels, Demons and Savages” at Parrish Art Museum in Water Mill, New York 

"Tattooed Couple" by Alfonso Ossorio, 1950

“Tattooed Couple” by Alfonso Ossorio, 1950

The Parrish Art Museum, located in the Long Island town of Water Mill, New York, is currently hosting an exhibition entitled “Angels, Demons and Savages: Pollock, Ossorio, Dubuffet”. The highlight of this exhibition is the placement of Filipino art collector and painter Alfonso Ossorio alongside his idols and much more famous contemporaries, abstract expressionist painters Jackson Pollock and Jean Dubuffet. Continue reading

Wife of Syrian Artist Youssef Abdelke Makes Public Appeal for Release With Online Petition 

Youssef Abdelke Goat's Head

Youssef Abdelke posing with painting of goat’s head

The filmmaker wife of acclaimed Syrian artist Youssef Abdelke, Ms. Hala Alabdalla, has made a mass appeal for his release from jail in launching a Facebook campaign and email petition. According to Ms. Alabdalla, her husband was “keen to stay in Damascus… despite the difficulties of daily life and dangers of… violence”. Continue reading

New York Public Library Extends “Africans in India” Exhibition Until July 18th, 2013 

Painting of an African-Indian Merchant, 17th or 18th century

Painting of an African-Indian Merchant, 17th or 18th century

The New York Public Library (NYPL) at the Schomberg Center for Research in Black Culture has extended their exhibition entitled “Africans in India: From Slaves to Generals and Rulers” through July 18th, 2013. Continue reading

Bryan Lewis Saunders’ Unconventional Approach to Creating Art, “Under the Influence”

Washington, DC-based artist Bryan Lewis Saunders has adopted a unique approach to creating his artwork. In a series of incredible self-portraits in different drawn mediums, Saunders shares with us how his self-perception changes under the influence of various narcotics and drugs.

Of the portraits generated, the following are particularly striking:

Under the influence of crystal meth.

Under the influence of crystal meth.

Under the influence of nicotine gum.

Under the influence of nicotine gum.

Continue reading

Keith Haring’s “The Political Line” Exhibition on Display at Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, France Until August 18th, 2013 

The work of the renowned social activist and graffiti artist Keith Haring is on display in a an exhibition at the Musée d’Art Moderne in Paris, France until August 18th, 2013.

tumblr_m3cilkPmKZ1qzy6hio1_1280Entitled “Keith Haring: The Political Line”, the collection features over 250 sculptures and drawings which serve to highlight Mr. Haring’s bold political perspectives at the height of his career in the late 1980s. Continue reading