Centre stage for Middle East creativity

When the British Museum held the Word into Art exhibition featuring artists of the modern Middle East in London, curator Venetia Porter says she didn't expect any more than 30,000 visitors over a period of three months.

The London exhibition took place in 2006 and has now made its way to Dubai, courtesy Dubai Holding, which supported the first show in London.

Ninety artists from the Middle East and North Africa have been brought together to demonstrate the varied usage of the Arabic script.

The three-section exhibition begins its journey with traditional calligraphic works, passes through abstract impressions of the script and ends with forceful yet moving statements on politics and identity.

In an exclusive interview with Weekend Review, Venetia Porter talked of her experiences in working with the region's talent.

How was “Word into Art'' received in London? What was the British public's response to contemporary art from the Middle East?

The exhibition ran from May 2006 to September that year. We had about 90,000 visitors in that period — [the response] was way beyond our expectations.

The fact that the exhibition was free definitely helped, but more than that, what we noticed was this thirst for information on the Middle East that is not war-related.

It was also around that time that the war in Lebanon began and we noticed that visitors were there to try and understand a little more about the region from sources other than traditional media.

Another interesting fact was the visitors' profile: a mixture of the regular British Museum visitors and a number of people from the Middle East.

The vast numbers — from people of Middle Eastern origin living in the UK to those from the Middle East holidaying there — were so proud to be able to see their region's works presented at the British Museum on such a scale.

Surely, it was not the first time the British Museum was presenting an exhibition of Middle East art?

Not on Middle East art. But on modern Middle East art, yes. This was was the first time.

The British Museum has been collecting art [contemporary] from the Middle East since the late 1980s.

It has been a slow process but has gained momentum in recent years.

We work with small budgets but hope to build collections because there is such a lot of relevance of Middle East art in today's world.

And we also rely on collectors who donate to the British Museum. The London show was also in partnership with Dubai Holding.

Has the budget increased since the success of 2006?

We have managed to squeeze a little bit. People think we are very rich [laughs] but that is not true.

It is also important for the artists to be present at the British Museum [when their artworks are being exhibited] as it really goes a long way in raising their profile.

Therefore, we are extremely pleased to be in a position to support them [the artists] as well.

In recent years, there has been a flurry of activity in the art acquisition scene in the Middle East, leading to a rise in the prices of the works. How do you view that?

I think it is very positive.

For the British Museum?

Well, for the British Museum it means they are more expensive [laughs] but it is positive for art at large.

I am happy to see the value of established artists increase and become important collectibles. As a result, we look out for upcoming artists.

When dealing with the subjective nature of art but in the context of modern Middle East art, how do you determine if an artist is promising?

It [the art] sort of just jumps out at you. There is a committee that looks at the criteria before agreeing to buy a work. So it is not as if I can just go out shopping for art.

There is not much of pure abstract but some kind of resonance of the region.

It doesn't have to be script-based, although I must admit that in our early acquisitions, we did unconsciously end up acquiring mostly script-related works.

Is that how “Word into Art'' came into being?

Well, yes. I was trying to see how the works could connect and needed them all placed in front of me. And then it just stood out — the connection of the script.

How much work do you think needs to be done before the image of Middle East art in the minds of the Westerners is no longer one of the Orientalists but of the modern artists hailing from the region? How much longer do you think it will take?

Oh, that is an interesting question. I think there is a lot more that needs to be done and with a lot more regularity.

There aren't too many galleries in London featuring Middle Eastern artists.

But, to begin with, my battle is to stop calling it contemporary Islamic art, in the first place.

And call it what?

Contemporary Middle East art. Remove the religion and bring in the geographical context.

So it would include all the countries that are in the Middle East – geographically?

Yes. In the broadest sense.

Are there any works by artists from Israel in the “Word into Art show''?

Yes, there is one video installation by Michal Rovner, in which she uses highly abstracted human figures as the building blocks.

A closer viewing of her piece makes clearer her aim to show the similarities in the scripts emerging from the Middle East — Arabic, Aramaic and Hebrew.

Most modern Middle Eastern art has a political context. Is that important or do you find it too repetitive?

I think one has to move beyond the politics but not forget it is there. This exhibition is about script but one must read the words.

So don't avoid the politics but take it in and listen to it.

And finally, some believe there is an increasing tendency in Britain to take political correctness to an extreme. How do you deal with political correctness in your capacity as a curator?

I normally work on ancient things but I am also getting involved in the modern movement.

The works on display in any exhibition are not my view. As for the British Museum, we look at things with neutrality.

One tries to push boundaries but remains neutral.

Word into Art is on till April 30 at Dubai International Financial Centre.

Vinita Bharadwaj is a UAE-based independent writer.