Abstract

Presently, many states in the Middle East are experiencing instability and mass displacement due to political violence. In the wake of these upheavals, and particularly post 9/11, a spotlight has fallen on art from the region, and more specifically on art with violence and political conflict as theme. This article investigates the ways in which three artists in diaspora from the Middle East, namely Wafaa Bilal, Tammam Azzam, and Reza Aramesh, portray violence in their art, reflecting on the meaning of violence and opening up possibilities for reconsidering the representation of violence from this region. The conceptual sleight of hand in the work of the artists chosen for this thematic and contextual analysis offers insight into the experience and depiction of violence in their respective countries of origin in order to, arguably, dispel the often distorted and simplistic perception of the region and its troubles. This investigation includes a discussion of reductive depictions of violence in the Middle East by Western media, focusing on the historical, political, socioeconomic, and emotional factors that lead to such representations. Against the backdrop of the global proliferation of Islamophobic and xenophobic social relations, anti-immigration politics, and ongoing conflict, the work of the artists selected for discussion in this article foregrounds the emancipatory potential of art to challenge perceptions, negotiate identities, encourage collective memory, and reconcile trauma.

摘要

目前，中东许多国家正因政治暴力局势动荡和大规模流离失所。在这些剧变之后，尤其是 9/11 之后，该地区的艺术受到关注，尤其是以暴力和政治冲突为主题的艺术。本文调查了三位散居在中东的艺术家，即 Wafaa Bilal、Tammam Azzam 和 Reza Aramesh 在他们的艺术中描绘暴力的方式，反思暴力的含义，并为重新考虑来自中东的暴力表现开辟了可能性。这个地区。被选为进行主题和背景分析的艺术家作品中的概念花招提供了对各自原籍国暴力经历和描述的洞察力，可以说，消除对该地区及其问题的经常扭曲和简单化的看法。这项调查包括讨论西方媒体对中东暴力的还原性描述，重点关注导致此类描述的历史、政治、社会经济和情感因素。在全球范围内仇视伊斯兰教和仇外社会关系、反移民政治和持续冲突的背景下，本文选择讨论的艺术家的作品突出了艺术挑战观念、协商身份、鼓励集体记忆的解放潜力，并调和创伤。关注导致这种表现的历史、政治、社会经济和情感因素。在全球范围内仇视伊斯兰教和仇外社会关系、反移民政治和持续冲突的背景下，本文选择讨论的艺术家的作品突出了艺术挑战观念、协商身份、鼓励集体记忆的解放潜力，并调和创伤。关注导致这种表现的历史、政治、社会经济和情感因素。在全球范围内仇视伊斯兰教和仇外社会关系、反移民政治和持续冲突的背景下，本文选择讨论的艺术家的作品突出了艺术挑战观念、协商身份、鼓励集体记忆的解放潜力，并调和创伤。