Writing Histories of Now: Modern and Contemporary Middle East Art and Architecture

PROGRAM

Monday, 6 July, 15:30 - 20:00 (Venue: Forum Transregionale Studien, Wallotstraße 14)

  • Modern and Contemporary Middle East Art and Architecture: Mapping the Field
  • Welcoming remarks: Hannah Baader and Georges Khalil Clare Davies and Mohamed Elshahed
  • Eva-Maria Troelenberg, Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz: Between Lands? Some reflections on the Mediterranean as an open discourse-scape for modern and contemporary aesthetic practices in the Middle East.
  • 17:00 Mapping the Field
  • Presentations by Sabih Ahmed, Michael Allan, Amin Alsaden, Saleem El Bahloly, Omar Berrada, Ralph Bodenstein, Clare Davies, Chad Elias, Mohamed Elshahed, Layal Ftouni, Atreyee Gupta, Laura Hindelang, Kristine Khouri, Morad Montazami, Sultan Sooud al-Qassemi, Combiz Mousavi-Aghdam, Hanan Toukan

Tuesday, 7 July 9:30 - 20:00 (Location: Department of Art and Visual History (IKB), Humboldt University, Georgenstrasse 47, Room 3.16)

  • 9:30-9:45 Welcoming remarks: Charlotte Klonk, Department of Art and Visual History (IKB), Humboldt University
  • 10:00-12:30 Session 1: The Field (RSVP required for attendance by non-participants)
  • Chairs: Mohamed Elshahed and Atreyee Gupta
  • In this session we will discuss methodological shifts in current scholarship, terminologies, sources and disciplinary limits.
  • 14:00-16:30 Session 2: Market, Museum and Conflict (RSVP required for attendance by non-participants)
  • Chairs: Clare Davies and Chad Elias
  • In this session we will discuss the backdrop against which emerging scholarship is being written: the volatile political context of the Middle East, institutional developments such as new museum departments for modern and contemporary “Arab” art, and the fast evolving art market.
  • 18:00–20:00 Writing Histories of Now, Modern and Contemporary Middle East Art and Architecture: A Conversation. (Venue: Department of Art and Visual History (IKB), Humboldt University, Georgenstr. 47, Room 0.12)
  • Welcoming remarks: Hannah Baader and Georges Khalil
  • Clare Davies and Mohamed Elshahed: Why now? Writing art history in the Middle East today.
  • Michael Allan, University of Oregon: Mapping the Field. Main questions and themes raised in the laboratory sessions
  • Sultan Sooud al-Qassemi, Barjeel Art Foundation, Sharjah: Collecting practices and museum infrastructure in the Middle East
  • Discussion

The workshop and the conversation is held the framework of “Art Histories and Aesthetic practices” and “Europe in the Middle East – The Middle East in Europe” (EUME), two research programs at the Forum Transregionale Studien, and in cooperation with the Kunsthistorisches Institut Florenz and the Department of Art and Visual History (IKB), Humboldt University.

Please RSVP at arthistories[at]trafo-berlin.de