Arab-American artists explore memory, heritage in New York exhibition
(MENAFN) Arab-American artists are exploring the theme of memory in an exhibition titled “A Thought is a Memory” at the CUE Art Foundation in New York. The show, which opened on March 23, features the work of four Arab-American artists – Zeinab Saab, Nailah Taman, Kiki Salem and Zeina Zeitoun – and examines the artists’ complex relationship with their ancestral homelands while growing up in the US. The artworks, which include photography, sculpture, collage, animation and painting, celebrate and challenge the artists’ Arab heritage while exploring themes of memory, displacement and migration. The exhibition also invites viewers to consider how memories can be disrupted by political upheaval and forced migration and how these experiences shape one’s identity.
The exhibition’s curator, New York-based Palestinian-American artist Noel Maghathe, says the show intentionally focuses on highlighting the experiences and perspectives of Arab-American artists. The exhibition also highlights how memories serve as a source material for our personal and shared histories. Maghathe notes that the artists’ works challenge viewers to question their own relationship to their ancestors, and how memories can shape one’s identity.
The exhibition’s theme echoes the late Lebanese artist and philosopher Etel Adnan’s exploration of the role of memory in our personal and shared histories. Adnan’s 2016 collection of prose and poetry, “Night,” explores how memory serves as a source material for identity, writing that “our identity is very likely whatever our memory decides to retain.” However, Adnan notes that memory is not just a storage room, but is “thinking before thinking.”
The works on display in “A Thought is a Memory” highlight the importance of memories in shaping identity and challenge viewers to consider how political upheaval and displacement can disrupt one’s relationship to their ancestral homelands. The exhibition celebrates and challenges the artists’ Arab heritage and invites viewers to explore their own relationship to their personal and shared histories.
MENAFN06042023000045012476ID1105956424
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.