Art Market Monitor

Global Coverage ~ Unique Analysis

  • AMMpro
  • AMM Fantasy Collecting Game
  • Podcast
  • Contact Us

Uncontaminated Middle Eastern Artists

October 23, 2009 by Marion Maneker

Time magazine draws attention to a new show of Iranian and Arab artists in Paris that’s been put together by a very strict curator:

Huda LuftiVisitors to “Golden Gates” won’t find any Orientalist exotica among the installations, paintings and other pieces by 18 contemporary artists from across the Middle East and Iran. In fact, “I refuse to work with artists that deal in exoticism” is the proud boast of the show’s creator Daniela da Prato. Too often, she says, the market shapes nascent art movements to meet Western tastes (the Chinese avant-garde is a case in point). “Golden Gates,” she says, features emerging artists that have “not yet been contaminated by the art market.”

Piquant truths about consumerism or the human condition, and inspiration drawn from ancient iconography or found objects, unite the displays. Iranian artist Nazgol Ansarinia inscribes sofreh (traditional tablecloths) with the fluctuating prices of daily foodstuffs sold by Tehran street peddlers, making a trenchant comment about Iran’s punishing inflation. Egyptian artist Huda Lutfi applies images of Egyptian pop divas to a triptych of female torsos, reminiscent of Gaultier perfume bottles, raising issues of gender politics and societal roles. “Being trapped in certain roles is a universal cultural phenomenon,” she says. But how wonderful to have it expressed in such fresh, unexpected quarters.

Golden Gates: Middle Eastern Art (Time)

More from Art Market Monitor

  • 'Some of my favorite artists are assholes''Some of my favorite artists are assholes'
  • Sotheby’s to Offer $20-30m Raj Pink in GenevaSotheby’s to Offer $20-30m Raj Pink in Geneva
  • Christie’s Paris Art Contemporain = €24.5mChristie’s Paris Art Contemporain = €24.5m
  • The Tate's FinancesThe Tate's Finances
  • London Contemporary Market PerformanceLondon Contemporary Market Performance
  • Feigen Says He Found a Max Stern CanvasFeigen Says He Found a Max Stern Canvas

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About Marion Maneker

LiveArt

Want to get Art Market Monitor‘s posts sent to you in our email? Sign up below by clicking on the Subscribe button.

  • About Us/ Contact
  • Podcast
  • AMMpro
  • Newsletter
  • FAQ

twitterfacebooksoundcloud
Privacy Policy
Terms & Conditions
California Privacy Rights
Do Not Sell My Personal Information
Advertise on Art Market Monitor
 

Loading Comments...