Frustrated by the popular images of "the Orient," which often resemble scenes from "Arabian Nights," the artists featured in "Empire and Its Discontents" seek to dispel that notion with resounding fervor. The exhibition, on display now at the Tufts University Art Gallery in the Aidekman Arts Center, features artists hailing from those countries once united by that ambiguous notion of Orientalism. Organized as a tribute to the 30th anniversary of the publication of "Orientalism" by renowned thinker and Palestinian-American political activist Edward Said, the exhibition comments on some of his most fundamental ideas, not the least of which deals with the West's false assumptions regarding the East.
Regarding Said's influence on the selections for the show, curator Amy Schlegel told the Daily, "It is not the driving force behind this exhibition. It wasn't some kind of primary criteria that we used in selecting the artists; in fact, that came much later in our curatorial process, more like an overlay. We certainly let the art suggest its own issues and concerns."
These issues get fleshed out more thoroughly in the audio commentary on your cell phone, a pilot program being inaugurated at the gallery for this exhibition. Through this new system, visitors can hear a more comprehensive audio guide via their phones. "We're very interested in it because we have a target audience of young adults who live and die by their cell phones, who never go anywhere without their cell phones, and we want to reach that audience," said Schlegel. "We want to make coming here interesting and engaging in a new way, and there is also the option of accessing the information anywhere, of checking it out later in a time and place that is more comfortable."
In addition to the cell phone information, the wall texts paired with the pieces still educate the viewer.
The term "polyphony" is defined in the wall text as "the simultaneity of multiple contradictory voices." Nowhere is that heard louder than in the imagined geographies of the Orient. Artists from countries as varied and distant as Iran, Egypt, Pakistan, India and China come together to represent ideas that resonate across time and space.
"Said wrote ‘Orientalism,' he has said many times, because he really perceived this huge gap between his own lived reality and representations of Arabs, and especially Palestinians," said Schlegel. "He felt compelled to write this kind of analysis and to develop his theories because of that gap and to try to bridge the gap, and I do see this desire on the part of younger artists."
The gallery space is practically ringing with polyphony. Andisheh Avini in particular sounds off about his personal struggle with cultural identity. At the same time, he confronts the issue of cultural homogenization that exists in the Western conception of his heritage. Avini is a Persian-American artist whose work attempts to reconcile his disparate cultural identities. His prints incorporate decadent gold leaf and a less-glamorous application of bleach. He uses the bleach to obscure or remove certain figures. The result is an eerie collision of traditional Persian imagery and poignant social commentary. The subjects themselves could be characters in a folktale, but, with their faces or entire figures violently removed, they become actors on a much more volatile world stage.
It seems to exemplify Western interpretations of the Oriental cultures where the interpreter picks and chooses which elements to keep. Said meditated on this in "Orientalism" as he explored misconceptions about the East cultivated by an ethnocentric West. Avini's paintings on woodblocks further illustrate the point, depicting a series of narrative scenes in delicate detail. All of the figures, however, have been blocked out entirely by a thick application of solid gold leaf. By stripping the figures of any recognizable identity, Avini represents how the West might view the people of his Persian heritage.
Kamrooz Aram's work deals with this subject as well. Schlegel explained, "I think he had a sense that there was something not right with images that represented people or regions he felt he was a part of, and now he's very clear and very direct in that he's hoping to really challenge distorted views and challenge the way we look at what we think is familiar, and to defamiliarize it." Aram does challenge the conventional views, but those of symbols, not people. He said, "I use symbols in a manner that I hope raises questions about our expectations of them."
The success of that aim is evident in his painting, "Mystical Visions Undetected by Night Vision Strengthen the Faith of the Believers and Make Their Enemies Scatter II" (2007). An enormous, arresting oil painting in vibrant colors, it appears to be merely a graphic experiment in color and line. The work is actually made up of various subjects, including what could be an angel, the giant birds known as rukhs, delicate patterns and designs, all set in what could be a landscape scene. The composition suggests some sort of narrative, but Aram leaves it up to the viewer to decipher what that might be.
The narrative element is also apparent in Saira Wasim's work. A master of Mughal miniature painting, Wasim uses her prolific skill not as a defense of historical painting, but rather as a pointed critique of the present. Mughal painting developed from Persian miniature painting and was used as a form of illustration for books or albums. Generally, the paintings showed scenes from court life, hunting or battles. Wasim utilizes the technique to chronicle current and recent heads of state as the characters in her own visual story.
Her effortlessly rendered images blend East and West seamlessly, displaying these characters in epic historical struggles, riding on the backs of elephants and stallions. One of Wasim's particularly humorous works, "Round Table" (2005), includes recognizable world leaders from Arab and Muslim states sleeping around a symbolic round table.
Concerning "Round Table," Schlegel said, "You know that may be funny to a broader audience than we would imagine, but it probably would also be offensive to others, which underscores the fact that [Wasim] works and lives in the West. The reality is that that work could never be shown in Pakistan — if she stayed in Pakistan she would probably be the target of an assassination." Yet, Schlegel points out, "I think that if you can poke fun, you can poke holes, and I think that it's a kind of levity that maybe we need — it does beg the question of whether any of this work is truly political."
Lara Baladi tells a visual story of her own in her photo series "The Surface of Time." She intends it to be a commentary on the "post-apocalyptic state" of Egypt under current President Hosni Mubarak. The series is arranged from right to left, as one would read Arabic. It speaks grim volumes without ever saying a word; not one person is pictured. The conspicuous absence of human figures enhances the ambience with an "if these walls could talk" - style exploration of the environments they would have left behind. The rumpled sheets on empty beds, well-worn couch cushions and faded portraits against peeling wallpaper all hint at the grandeur of the life that was.
Baladi's piece is particularly poignant when considered against the current state of the Arab world compared to its past. When asked what they consider the Arab world, most Westerners would make reference to war-torn failed states rampant with terrorist cells and fundamentalist governments. More than likely, they would make no mention of the glorious empire that once existed there in the Golden Age of Islam, when cities like Baghdad and Cairo were lively centers of learning and trade at the crossroads of the world. Baladi chronicles the 25-year decline of her country under one president but parallels a similar decline of the whole Arab world in the mind of the West.
Marjane Satrapi tells another story in her graphic novels. "Persepolis," volumes I and II, explore her childhood in Iran during the revolution and her life's journey following it. The enlarged excerpts from both volumes on display demonstrate her enviable skill in storytelling and illustration. Volume I, "The Story of a Child," features the precocious young Satrapi learning to live in a rapidly changing Iran as the rules get stricter and religious influence takes over the country.
While there are often supreme misconceptions in the West about Islamic religious rule, Satrapi tells the story in the words of a child in a way that's relatable and accessible to anyone. It frees us from the burden of our preconceived notions about Islamic rule and Iranian culture. Satrapi's format is simple yet masterful. She has created a visually stunning graphic layout with expressive characters using only black and white. Her words are simple and concise and yet they still conjure the rich history of a country and a woman.
Satrapi's work has become well-known in the past year, as her books were made into an award-winning animated film that wooed audiences all over the world. Suddenly the story of the Iranian Revolution became humanized, thrust onto a world stage with a deeply-relatable character narrating. Satrapi took advantage of the phenomenon of globalization, which gave her the ability to market her work and her message around the world. The gallery will be hosting a screening of "Persepolis" (2007) on Oct. 15 in Sophia Gordon Hall.
Farhad Moshiri and Shirin Aliabadi trumpet the implications of that same globalization in a photo piece entitled "We Are All Americans." They photograph international products whose labels have been altered to include loaded English statements. These artists ask the question, "How are we to conceive of ourselves in a world that regards us as a homogenized whole?" While the benefits of a global marketplace are known — greater exchange of goods and ideas across borders and more opportunities for poorer countries to develop — are the consequences worth it? Artists representing exotic cultures and countries are all dealing with the issue of retaining a cultural identity in an ever-changing world.
"Empire and Its Discontents" gives these artists the opportunity to have their voices heard and to counter the implications of Orientalism. They come a few steps closer to regaining their identities personally and culturally while fostering an understanding in their audience. The public opening reception for all fall exhibitions will be today from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Check out upcoming events related to "Empire" at www.ase.tufts.edu/gallery.
