To be included under, “Why the Stereotypes?”

Despite deep-rooted Orientalist representations that are still perpetuated today, there are efforts to diversify and combat their stereotypes. Three artists, Shirin Neshat, Helen Zhughaib, and Nabil Mousa, embody efforts that disrupt typical Orientalist portrayals.

A first image, “Sayed,” of Neshat’s series Our House is on Fire depicts an Arab man humanistically.

The man’s expression of concern is the central subject, as opposed to portraying him in a way that makes him look dangerous or violent. Furthermore, the series itself was produced by the Rauschenberg Foundation, which believes that “art can encourage and change the dialogue for challenging international issues” (“Sayed” 2016). The collection and this image specifically work to expand representations of Arabs in modern art. With the simplistic and personal nature of the photo, Sayed is given a soul that many Orientalist artworks lack.

Secondly, in Secrets Under the ‘Abaya, Helen Zhughaib challenges the one-dimensional nature of Arab female portrayals in Orientalist art. Zhughaib has stated that this particular work was created “in response to the increasingly negative perceptions of Islam and Muslim culture” (Ferguson, 2011). Zhughaib acts on this purpose by incorporating uncommon, thought-provoking details in her work to build different impressions of these cultures.

In the middle of three panels, a women thinks, “I am not who you think I am.” This dialogue causes the viewer to question the women’s identity and all that is typically associated with it. As opposed to the 19th century art where women are sexualized and exoticized, Zhughaib paints female characters with individual identities, accentuated by the different colors, shapes, and styles of her figures. There are no exaggerated body shapes, male-female power dynamics, or rituals of unveiling women involved. Zhughaib’s fresh perspective on Arab women adds depth and versatility to a largely homogeneous body of work on Arab women.

Finally, Nabil Mousa strongly demonstrates what it means to be an artist challenging Orientalist portrayals. As a gay male artist, Mousa incorporates these two identities into his artworks to challenge stereotypical notions of Arab culture and Arab men. With pieces like “Burka #16,” Mousa questions conceptions of femininity, masculinity, oppression, and other notions with well-defined Orientalist representations.

As seen in the 19th century and Medieval art, the usual representations of Arab men and women include exoticism, sexualization and violence. In this work specifically, Mousa intermingles clothing associated with Arab women with his identity as a gay male artist. This radically different approach throws out the usual stereotypes and challenges viewers conceptions of Arab identity, culture, sexuality and art.

Each of these artists depicts Arabs and Arab culture through a different approach: humanistic portrayal of a single person, varied studies of women, and a challenging artwork combining contradictory identities. These works offer a fresh perspective desperately needed to reverse the impact, little by little, that Orientalism continues to have. By supplying views of Arabs previously undocumented or not widely publicized Neshat, Zhughaib, and Mousa exemplify artists fighting against Orientalism in the modern day.

References:

Exchange: Sayed. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://exchange.umma.umich.edu/resources/2896/view

Ferguson, B. (2011, August). Painter Helen Zughaib: A Foot in Two Countries and Two Cultures. Retrieved from https://www.wrmea.org/011-august/painter-helen-zughaib-a-foot-in-two-countries-and-two-cultures.html

Luongo, M. T. (2018, January 12). Arab and Coming Out in Art That Speaks Up. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/12/arts/design/lgbt-artists-arab-american-national-museum.html