Explore how artists experimented with听script听in North Africa, West Asia and South Asia in the wake of independence movements听听
This symposium鈥痺ill bring together scholars and researchers to鈥痚xplore an artistic current that transformed Arabic (including Persian and Urdu) letters and script into abstract鈥痸isual forms across North Africa, West Asia and South Asia in the wake of independence movements and the鈥痳ise of avant-garde groups and schools.听
The discussions will take a comparative transnational approach to explore the ways in which artists engaged with the abstract and expressive possibilities of script either independently or through the formation of 鈥渟chools鈥 (Khartoum school, Casablanca听Art听School) and movements听(Lettrism,鈥Hurufiyya,听Saqqakhana) at critical moments of transformation throughout the 20th鈥痗entury, particularly against the socio-political context of decolonization. This framework听will听open up questions around the development of transnational aesthetics of decolonization, as well as how these practices gesture at broader听networks and spheres听of affiliation, beyond national frameworks.听
Professor Salah M. Hassan听听is the听Director of听The Africa Institute听and听the Goldwin Smith Professor听of African and African Diaspora Art History and Visual Culture in听the Department of听Africana Studies and Research Center,听as well as in the听Department of History of Art and Visual Studies, and also serves as听Director of the Institute for Comparative听Modernities.听 Hassan听is an鈥痚ditor and听co-founder of鈥Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art鈥(Duke University Press). He currently serves as听a听member of the editorial advisory board of鈥Atlantica,听Journal of Curatorial Studies, and international Journal of Middle Eastern Studies,听and served as consulting editor for鈥African Arts.听Hassan听has contributed听numerous听essays to journals, anthologies,听and exhibition catalogues of contemporary art, and has听guest edited a special issue听of鈥疭AQ: South Atlantic Quarterly, entitled鈥African Modernism鈥(2010).听He听has听authored, edited,听and co-edited several books,听including听Ibrahim El Salahi: A Visionary Modernist听(2013);听Darfur and the Crisis of Governance: A Critical Reader鈥(2009);听Diaspora, Memory, Place鈥(2008);鈥and听Unpacking Europe鈥(2001);鈥Authentic/Ex-Centric鈥(2001) among others. Most recently,听Hassan edited and introduced听Ibrahim El-Salahi: Prison Notebook听(MoMA and听Sharjah Art Foundation听Publications, 2018), and the forthcoming听Ahmed Morsi: A Dialogic Imagination听(Sharjah Art Foundation, 2020).听听
Hassan听has curated international exhibitions听and Biennials including鈥Authentic/Ex-Centric鈥(49th Venice Biennale, 2001),鈥Unpacking Europe鈥(Rotterdam, 2001-02),听and鈥3脳3: Three Artists/Three: David Hammons, Maria Magdalena Campos-Pons, Pamela Z鈥(顿补办鈥橝谤迟, 2004), among others. He curated听Ibrahim El Salahi: A Visionary Modernist鈥痺as published in 2012 held听at The Tate Modern in London (2013) after premiering at the Sharjah Art Museum in Sharjah, UAE听(2013). In addition, he also co-curated听The Khartoum School: The Making of the Modern Art Movement in Sudan, 1945-2016听(2016-2017) and听When Art Becomes Liberty: The Egyptian Surrealists (1938鈥1965)听(2016)听funded by the Sharjah Art Foundation.听听
He is the recipient听of听fellowships听including听the J. Paul Getty Postdoctoral Fellowship as well as major grants from Sharjah Art Foundation, Ford听Foundation, Rockefeller听Foundation,听Afrique听en听Creations,听Andy Warhol听Foundation听for the Visual Arts,听and听the听Prince Claus Fund.听
Professor Nada Shabout听is a Professor of Art History and the Coordinator of the Contemporary Arab and Muslim Cultural Studies Initiative (CAMCSI) at the University of North Texas.鈥疭he is the founding president of the Association for Modern and Contemporary Art from the Arab World, Iran and Turkey (AMCA). She is the author of鈥Modern Arab Art: Formation of Arab Aesthetics, University of Florida Press, 2007; co-editor of鈥New Vision: Arab Art in the 21st鈥疌别苍迟耻谤测, Thames & Hudson, 2009; and co-editor鈥痮f鈥Modern Art in the鈥Arab World: Primary Documents, Museum of Modern Art, New York, 2018. She is also founding听Director of Modern Art Iraq Archive. Notable among exhibitions she has curated:鈥Sajjil: A Century of Modern Art, 2010; traveling exhibition,鈥Dafatir: Contemporary Iraqi Book Art, 2005-2009; and co-curator,鈥Modernism and Iraq, 2009. Major awards of her research听include:听Getty Foundation 2019; Writers Grant, Andy Warhol Foundation 2018; The American Academic Research Institute in Iraq (TAARII) fellow 2006, 2007, Fulbright Senior Scholar Program, 2008. She is currently working on a new book project,鈥Demarcating Modernism in Iraqi Art: The Dialectics of the Decorative,鈥1951-1979, under contract with the American University in Cairo Press.听
Nabila Abdel Nabi听is currently Curator, International Art at Tate Modern, working closely with the Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational. Previously she worked as Associate Curator at The Power Plant, Toronto, and prior to this as Gallery Manager at The Third Line, Dubai. Nabila has worked on solo exhibitions and facilitated new commissions by artists including Abbas Akhavan, Kader Attia, Omar Ba,听Yto听Barrada, Karla Black,听Kapwani听Kiwanga, Amalia Pica and Vivian Suter among others. She recently curated the exhibition听Hold Everything Dear听with Hajra Waheed at The Power Plant, Toronto and was previously Art Editor at literary magazine听The Point. Nabila holds degrees from 91制片厂 and University of Chicago.听
Professor Sussan Babaie听teaches听at The听Courtauld.听Her听research has been supported by The Getty, The Fulbright and the National Endowment for the Humanities.听She听began听her听research (PhD 1994, Institute of Fine Arts, NYU), on the early modern period especially the Persianate-Islamicate听world and has听expanded its range to include a variety of topics including: on architecture, urbanism and urbanity (Isfahan and its Palaces, 2008, paperback 2018; and听Persian Kingship and Architecture, 2015); on transcultural conditions of artistic production (The Mercantile Effect:鈥疧n Art and Exchange in 迟丑别听Islamicate听World,听2017; and 鈥楾he Delhi Loot and the Exotics of Empire鈥, 2018); and most recently on the transmission of sensory experiences between the visual and the gustatory (鈥楥ookery and urbanity in early modern Isfahan鈥, 2018).听She听comes听from a graphic design background (BA 1979, University of Tehran) and听is听interested in exploring the interdependence between deep history of art and contemporary artistic practices of Iran and the Middle East. This research includes 鈥榁oices of Authority: Locating the 鈥榤odern鈥 in 鈥業slamic鈥 Arts鈥,听Getty Research Journal听(2011);听Shirin Neshat听(2013);听Honar: The听Afkhami听Collection of Modern and Contemporary Iranian Art听(2017); and in听Slavs and Tatars听(2017).听
This Event is organised by Hyundai Tate Research Centre: Transnational in collaboration with The Courtauld
