| Abstrakt: |
The events of the last two years in relation to the invasion and occupation of Iraq, has succeeded in alerting Western press to Iraq's contemporary visual production. While this could be seen as progress, it remains insufficient. One of the most precarious implications of art history's general disregard of third world contemporary self-expression, and as manifested in the case of Iraq, is the lack of coverage and concerns that Markaz Saddam lil-Funun, the Iraqi Museum of Modern Art, and its horrid fate has received. Is it simply a problem of classification and definition, or is it one that transcends beyond the simple? What is the reason behind the absence of modern Arab art from the international scene, particularly at this age of global communications? One could argue that it is in fact symptomatic of a larger problem in relation to the status and meaning of the modern production of visual representations in the region as a whole. Is it, however, a misunderstanding of the aesthetic transformation of the twentieth century and the role of visual iconography in transforming modern Arab cultures, and in this case modern Iraqi culture, or is it a continuation of Western cultural superiority and Orientalism. Is the rhetoric of ‘our humanity's heritage’ appropriate for ancient art only? Does the West's concern with ancient Mesopotamia and its archaeological artifacts in Iraq pertain to its claim that this history is the root of its civilization? And modern history, on the other hand, is the concern of its own people only? This paper will explore the logic and various issues behind art history's disregard of Modern Arab art. It will debate questions of why art history books end their discussion of Islamic art around the 17th century, and what happened in the 3 centuries that followed? With Iraq as the case in hand, it will examine possible related socio-political issues to the exclusion of its art, such as orientalism, colonialism, identity and Western hegemony. National identity of Iraq, in light of current debates of its validity as a nation-state becomes pivotal. Finally, through discussion of a number of examples, it will outline the aesthetic transformation during the 20th century, and investigate aspects of modern Iraqi art. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
