Exhibition Archives: Unveiled (2009)
Exhibition Archives: Unveiled (2009) 
In the Exhibition Archives series, we examine and discuss significant shows of modern and contemporary Arab art around the world.
What: Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East.
Where: Saatchi Gallery, London.
When: 13 January – 5 May 2009.
Exhibited artists: Diana Al-Hadid (Syria), Halim Al-Karim (Iraq), Ahmed Alsoudani (Iraq), Nadia Ayari (Tunisia), Kader Attia (Algeria), Ali Banisadr (Iran), Shirin Fakhim (Iran), Shadi Ghadirian (Iran), Barbad Golshiri (Iran), Ramin Haerizadeh (Iran), Rokni Haerizadeh (Iran), Khaled Hafez (Egypt), Wafa Hourani (Palestine), Hayv Kahraman (Iraq), Jeffar Khaldi (Lebanon), Laleh Khorramian (Iran), Farsad Labbauf (Iran), Tala Madani (Iran), Ahmad Morshedloo (Iran), Sara Rahbar (Iran) & Marwan Rechmaoui (Lebanon).
Significance: One of the early shows on contemporary art from WANA at an important London institution directed at a global art audience.
Conceived in the aftermath of 9/11 and building from the observation that ‘in the West, “the Middle East” is routinely viewed through the prism of strife, oppression and terrorism’ leading the region to be seen as ‘dark, distant, ambiugous, other’, the Unveiled exhibition presented a number of contemporary artists from the region and diaspora, with a particular sub-focus on Iranian artist. In fact, out of twenty-one exhibited artists, eleven were Iranian.
The underlying position of the exhibition, as highlighted in the catalogue, arises from the wish to show ‘the Western’ world that the region, contrary to what media outlets report and people’s tendency to equate it with terror and oppression, presents a number of ‘robust, independent art scenes’, connecting to a ‘history of cultural activity that goes back centuries’. This is nothing terribly novel. In fact, most of the contemporary art exhibitions dealing with the region in the post 9/11 era took this very same position as they were eager to ‘justify’ that the region is ‘way more’ than just oppression and terror: there is art and culture. Problematically, the exhibition catalogue does not do a very good job in contextualising vernacular art practices: the history of modern art in the region is dealt with in a couple of sentences. This lack of art historical depth is also common to other contemporary art exhibitions centred on the region. This is somewhat paradoxical: at the same time these catalogues tend to emphasise the ‘robust, independent art scenes’ – surely we can ask to what extent any ‘contemporary art scene’ truly exists outside of the global influence, while silently presenting artworks that almost perfectly fit to the existing contemporary art vernacular.
The Saatchi show is also related to its contemporaries through its title. References to ‘veils’ were particularly popular amongst the earlier shows on contemporary art from the region, as exemplified by Veil, Veiling, Representation and Contemporary Art (2003) and the Saatchi shows. Undoubtedly, and as noted in the exhibition catalogue, the show’s title Unveiled carries multiple ‘meanings’ and ‘resonances’. The exhibition organisers argue that the works included in the show mark ‘one step in moving beyond the magic of’ the fetished veil. In our contemporary perspective, we can debate whether the title is successful after all. Such a focus on the Western world – let us not forget the exhibition took place in London. it was arguably directed at an audience with not much of an understanding for modern or contemporary art from the region. In this context, the seemingly playful title carrying the double-meaning of unveiling – revealing and divulging art from the region – and the veil, which continues to be heavily associated with this part of the world, places the focus almost entirely on the Western spectator. This position found some resonance in the press as some of the exhibition review titles included ‘The veil is lifted on hidden talent’.
Links to press reviews:
Featured image: Kader Attia, Ghost (2007)
