Category Archives: Contemporary Art

Afghan Trucks 2

Afghanistan, Contemporary Art, Gender and Sexuality, Travel

In a previous blog entry, I mentioned a photographic book by Jean-Charles Blanc on Afghan Trucks. In addition to legendary and technological themes, in this pre-Taliban world there was an interest in women as well, at least among truck drivers and those who appreciated truck driven art. Here is what the Introduction to the text says about the female image unveiled:

Occasionally another motif appears amongst these tablaux: that of women – a rare and daring theme for this Islamic society where tradition is so carefully guarded. they are depicted in the form of sensual, Felliniesque, sulphurous-eyed vamps whose looks are inspired from Indian statuary – the flesh of Marilyn and Sophia draped in Oriental clothing, and with just a few puffs of hashish their colored images spring to life …


to be continued

Afghan Trucks 1

Afghanistan, Contemporary Art, Travel

Way back in 1976 I picked up a delightful photographic book called Afghan Trucks, published by the Stonehill Publishing Company in New York. The photographer was Jean-Charles Blanc, who obviously had a far easier time trucking around Afghanistan than a photographer would today. The brief introduction says nothing about the photographer. It does say a lot about Afghan drivers:

“The driver and his mates are conditioned to a hard, lonely, even painful life, but its austerity is brightened by the dazzling exterior decor of the truck. Flowers transform it into a moving oasis: with rows of tulips and bouquets of roses clinging to its sides, the Afghan truck is like a traveling art gallery wending its way through arid mountains and deserts. Continue reading Afghan Trucks 1 →

Art Territories

Contemporary Art, Egypt, Orientalist Art, Photography, Teaching Resources

Check out this new website, initiated by Ursula Biemann and Shuruq Harb, this month: “ArtTerritories is conceived as an independent platform for artists, thinkers, researchers and curators to reflect on their art practice and engage in critical exchange on matters of art and visual culture in the Middle East and the Arab World. Dedicated to the interview format, the initiative encourages discussion of artistic process with an emphasis on discursive art and media practices, collaborative initiatives, and cultural and institutional politics. ArtTerritories aims to define, connect and expand already existing art communities in the region as well as an ever-growing invested international arts community.”


Photograph by Ahmad Hosni, from his Go Down, Moses project

The following is a sample of an interview with photographer Ahmad Hosni.

Ursula: The book is the result of intense but somewhat undirected exposure to desert experience with its chance encounters, local stories and tourist ethnographies, tinted by a literary reading of an eclectic range of writers, some of whom are discussed in the book. Continue reading Art Territories →

Pictures at a Yemeni exhibition

Contemporary Art, Yemen, YouTube Watch


Painting by Qais Saleh Ahmed Aluan, founding member and vice-director of the Bait al-Fann (House of Art) in Yarim (Ibb Governorate)

The media focus on Muslim grievances over images of the Prophet Muhammad obscures the fact that there is a vibrant artistic tradition throughout the Islamic world. Take Yemen, for example. There are art centers in various parts of the country. Here is a Youtube trip through Bayt al-Fann (The House of Art) in Hodeidah. I only wish they had used music by Mussorgsky…