NOT ABOUT BOMBS set to open; please consider supporting the exhibit
January 29th, 2012 by Luke
"Still/Chaos" by Sama Alshaibi and Dena Al-Adeeb is one of the defining images of NOT ABOUT BOMBS, a new exhibit presented by the Iraqi and American Reconciliation Project. The exhibit features contemporary works from female Iraqi artists and runs February 3 - March 3.
“The Western media is rampant with preconceived notions about women in the Middle East. In an unfortunate display of ethnocentrism, it seems to have trouble getting past hijabs and veils. Women are depicted as subservient and oppressed, and the conversation doesn’t go much further. ‘Not About Bombs’ is challenging that notion in a major way. ‘I want to know what these women are feeling and thinking,’says curator Tricia Khutoretsky. ‘There’s so much going on in the Middle East right now and women are playing a really major role in change. There are a lot of other discussions that can happen.’”
- “What Lies Beneath,” Tony Wagner (MN Daily)
NOT ABOUT BOMBS is set to begin with an opening reception on February 3, 2012 at Intermedia Arts in Minneapolis. However, we must raise at least $2,400 more to pull it off and avoid scaling back programming. Please consider a gift today to help amplify the voices of female Iraqi artists and make NOT ABOUT BOMBS possible.
By making a contribution, you’ll help present authentic female perspectives in place of stereotypes. NOT ABOUT BOMBS addresses how female voices can fit into the modern context of turmoil and conflict through art and avoid falling into the ways that women are represented… and misrepresented. The women in NOT ABOUT BOMBS contribute art that is visually and conceptually accomplished, but unpredictable and emotionally engaging.
As curator Tricia Khutoretsky says, NOT ABOUT BOMBS is about the war in Iraq and its effects on women, but less about the practical effects of war and more about how women respond to it emotionally and how their identity is affected by it: “It’s about what women are dealing with or what their thought process is, having been part of a country that’s been at war for the past 10 years.”
By supporting this exhibit with at least a $25 donation, you’ll also get a 12×18 exhibit poster. Thank you for your support!
After the exhibit ends, we plan to build on this and our two previous exhibits, Navigating the Aftermath and The Art of Conflict, to support and strengthen communities of people affected by war and bring the discussion on the effects of war and the lives of those affected into a mainstream audience of Americans.
Here is what some attendees of Navigating the Aftermath said about the exhibit:
- “Beautiful, heartbreaking art work. A reminder that art of all kinds captures and expresses the human condition and experience like nothing else does.”
- “Deepened my awareness of the long-term personal devastation war causes on a society and its peoples”
- “It’s good to see how creative and resilient Iraq’s artists are”
- “I hadn’t seen the Iraqis in this light before.”
- “What a collection of tragic stories shared and based on “both sides” of the Iraq war. Powerful!”
- “The subject matter of both the exhibit and the film was relevant and had an immediacy that captured the audience.”
- “The interactive SPEAK table was extraordinary, giving people an opportunity to share their own comments & experiences.”
- “A 10! I thought it was very thought provoking and engaging, and eye opening! In a very un-shaded way – the truth was shared by way of interviews and artwork.”
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