Art in Isolation: Creativity in the Time of Covid-19 was the MEI Art Gallery’s first ever open call show, paying tribute to the experiences and reflections of artists from the Middle East and its diaspora during a period of global crisis.
Curated by Laila Abdul-Hadi Jadallah, multiple themes emerged in the selection: among them, an emphasis on found materials given the lack of access artists had to their studios; a focus on the interior world, as artists found themselves isolated inside their homes in countries where quarantines were strictly enforced; and the intersection of war and the pandemic, with several of the artists experiencing both simultaneously. The artists represented here turned their state of isolation into a rich palette of reflections, imaginary worlds, and biting critiques about a moment in time that has left an indelible mark on all of our lives.
Curator
Participating Artists
Afaf Zurayk, Afraa Ahmed, Alia Damithan, Amer Akel, Amina Ayman Kadous, Asim Ahmed, Athar Jaber, Carol Mansour, Dahlia Abdelilah Baasher, Ebtisam Abdulaziz, Erhan Us, Fatema Al Fardan, Firouz FarmanFarmaian, Heba Amin, Helen Zughaib, Ilyes Messaoudi, Jack Persekian, Jamila Rizgalla, Katya Traboulsi, Lena Kassicieh, Maitha Damithan, Mahmoud Alhaj, Manal Deeb, Mansour el Habre, Maysaloun Faraj, Mehdi Djelil, Melissa Chimera, Moath Alofi, Mous Lamrabat, Qais Assali, Raafat Ballan, Ralph Khoury, Rami Saab, Rania Matar, Reem Al Jeally, Sama Tari, Sepideh Salehi, Sina Ata, Sinan Tuncay
Shireen Atassi, Mahmoud El Hajj, and Laila Abdul-Hadi Jadallah discuss how the pandemic has transformed the visual arts sector in the Middle East and reflect on the impact of those changes on artists, art institutions and art markets in the MENA region, with reference to themes in “Art in Isolation: Creativity in the Time of Covid-19.”
