IRAQ: Recovering a ransacked heritage

 

For a few precious hours, Iraq's shuttered National Museum threw open its doors to journalists this week to celebrate the return of more than 700 looted antiquities, seized over the years by Syrian customs officials.

Clay cones inscribed with cuneiform script, one of the earliest forms of writing, ancient statues, golden necklaces and daggers were on display for the cameras. Museum officials showed off the serial numbers identifying items as part of their collection.

For now, the museum remains closed to the public. Once the journalists had gone Sunday, museum staff began boxing up the items, which will be kept under lock and key until security improves in Baghdad.

IRAN: A Muslim actor as Jesus Christ

He is an Iranian Muslim who looks so much like a Hollywood or Renaissance image of Jesus Christ that the faithful sometimes make the sign of the cross when they see him.

Ahmad Soleimani-Nia has been playing Jesus for seven years, keeping his hair long and lightly dyed, his beard knotty and vibrant.

He is the star of "Jesus, the Spirit of God," a new film from Iran that depicts the man Christians believe to be the messiah and son of God as a tormented Judean prophet heralding the coming of Muhammad, the founder of the Muslim faith. Nia's Jesus is at once serene, devout, driven and passionate.

In real life, if there is a real life after a spiritual and artistic odyssey that is still not over, Nia lives in Tehran. He was once a soldier in the Iranian army and then a welder for — the irony is interesting in this Jesus story — his nation's Atomic Energy Agency, which the Bush administration accuses of pursuing nuclear weapons.

That may unsettle some American neo-cons, but perhaps not as much as the film itself, which suggests that Jesus wasn't crucified and never rose from the dead.

Check out the rest of the story in today's Los Angeles Times. 

— Jeffrey Fleishman in Tehran

Photo: Ahmad Soleimani-Nia as Jesus. Credit: minbar.tatar.ru/rus/Messiah.htm

LEBANON: A theater that delves into Arab thinking

 

Sherif Abdel Nour, the Lebanese-Palestinian playwright and director, says he's determined to use art to highlight Arab concerns as a counterweight to Western influences.

Last week, Abdel Nour celebrated the opening of his new production, “Hanthalaza’s Journey from Slumber to Consciousness,” at Beirut's Babylon Theatre.

The satirical play mocks the apathy and submissiveness that characterize much of the Arab world.

“My objective is to bring the Arab culture closer to the people through theater,” said the 30-year-old director. “There is a tendency to stay away from issues related to the Arab identity and to perform Western plays.”   

To achieve his objective, Abdel Nour created his own theatrical troupe, grouping amateurs from different parts of the Arab world in 2001. So far he's staged 16 plays, all of them tackling Arab social and political concerns.

EGYPT: Lutes and Sufi chanters

As the rising sounds of oriental percussion and lutes resonated around him, the frail Sufi chanter struck a glass with prayer beads in fast repetitive movements. His vibrant voice sang love for the prophet Mohammed.

The man featured at a cultural center in Cairo was Sheikh Ahmad Al-Tuni, one of Egypt's emblematic figures of Sufism, a school of Islam with mystical dimensions. Al-Tuni represents an old line of performers of musical and singing traditions transmitted orally from generation to generation.

Sufis believe they can transcend into a state of altered consciousness and experience closeness to Allah, or God. This is usually achieved through a set of rituals that involve whirling the head or the body to intense rhythmic music and repetitive chanting of divine names.

EGYPT: An ancient art for modern times

The two women struck their drums to a crescendo, swirling their heads, adorned with embroidered veils and bright jewelry. The men in the background followed the rhythm with their flute and oriental percussion instruments, as they all seemed to slip into a trance.   

This performance at a small makeshift theater in downtown Cairo was part of a representation of a traditional dwindling Egyptian act of drumming, singing and dancing, called the "Zar." Originally, the Zar is a ritual practiced mainly by women in some African countries to heal the bodies and souls of their community from illness and evil spirits.

But because it weaves in magic and mysticism, this practice has been rejected by mainstream Islamic currents. It is only practiced today illicitly in underground places such as cemeteries.

LEBANON: Artist remembers the stench of war

Lebanese artist Nada Sahnaoui took her people by surprise when she chose a rather uncoventional tool to lament the damage caused by her country’s infamous civil war and warn against the reoccurrence of the same calamity: toilets, a whole bunch of them.

Under the title, “Haven’t 15 years of hiding in the toilets been enough?” Sehnaoui installed 600 toilets in downtown Beirut, a city contemplating its murky future amid political divisions.

“From 1975 to 1990, the Lebanese people used to hide from the bombings in their toilets where there were no glass windows,” says Sehnaoui while sitting on one of her toilets at sunset. “Now, we hear war drums and we may be killing each other again. This is why I am raising the question: have we not had enough?”

IRAQ: Art in troubled times, VII

This mixed-media work by Iraqi artist Mutia al-Jumeili is a totem to Iraqi cultural identity. It combines depictions of ancient Sumerian cuneiform writing with the Islamic affirmation of faith, "There is no God but Allah, and Mohammed is his prophet," in Arabic. Despite ancient references, vivid colors give this work a contemporary feel.

— Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Artist: Mutia al-Jumeili. Courtesy: Afnan Gallery

IRAQ: Art in troubled times, VI

The vibrant swirls and frenetic floral coloring of this painting by Iraqi Mohammed Qassem strongly recall the works of Marc Chagall or Vincent van Gogh. The energy and passion of the painting style contrast strongly with the blank, impassive expressions on the faces of the women (or is it the same woman in different outfits, redrawn over and over?).

— Borzou Daragahi in Beirut

Artist: Mohammed Qassem. Courtesy: Afnan Gallery

MIDDLE EAST: Another cartoon controversy in the making

A satirical painting of Islam's holiest shrine, the Kaaba, in an art exhibition in Germany, has angered Muslims around the world. Threats of violence forced Galerie Nord in central Berlin last week to temporarily close down the show of works by Danish artists.

In February, the reprinting of Danish cartoons depicting derisively Islam's prophet Muhammad sparked protests in Denmark and other countries, a reminder of the massive deadly demonstrations of angry bearded men protesting the same caricatures across the Muslim world in 2006.
 
This time protesters objected to a poster showing Muslim devotees walking around the Muslim holy shrine with speech bubbles saying, "Zionist occupied government."

The poster, one out of 22, is titled "Stupid Stone."

IRAQ: Art in troubled times, V

Before he became a professional painter, Iraqi artist Jaffar Mohammed worked as a civil engineer, laying out roads for the Iraqi government as part of the country's soulless state bureaucracy. His works, mostly oil on canvas, draw on no Iraqi traditions or iconography. Each work reflects an almost obsessive formalism, focusing exclusively on line, shape, space and color within the canvas. In this work, two purple circles on an orange background lend an ominous air to a melange of broad, straight strokes of blue and gray. 

— Borzou Daragahi in Baghdad

Artist: Jaffar Mohammed / Courtesy: Afnan Gallery

IRAQ: Art in troubled times, IV

Iraqi painter Hadi Mahood's works took a somber turn shortly after the 2003 U.S.-led invasion. At first he was hopeful about the future of his country. But as the violence increased, his abstract paintings took on a gloomy and sullen feel. The form of a fish often appears woven into his studies of mood, color, light and texture, as in this oil on canvas.

— Borzou Daragahi in Baghdad

Artist: Hadi Mahood / Courtesy: Afnan Gallery

IRAQ: Art in troubled times, III

Painter Dhia Khuzae's works are multimedia collages of color, texture and line drawing. The bicycle is a running motif throughout his works, as are the mysterious faces of two young women. Perhaps this work is an attempt to capture the bright colors and fading memories of a long-ago childhood.

— Borzou Daragahi in Baghdad

Artist: Dhia Khuzae / Courtesy of Afnan Gallery

IRAQ: Art in troubled times, II

Despite gritty, overcrowded cities like Baghdad and Kirkuk, Iraq remains primarily an agricultural country, and even its city dwellers mostly maintain close ties to their rural past. In this painting, Iraqi artist Ahmad Nassif, drawing inspiration from 20th century Abstract Expressionism, uses earthy colors to depict the iconic image of a traditional southern Iraq farm housing unit and its surrounding environs, perhaps at twilight. 

— Borzou Daragahi in Baghdad

Artist: Ahmad Nassif / Courtesy: Afnan Gallery

EGYPT: A necklace and a voice

It was the story of a necklace threaded with 1,800 pearls that got me searching for an old cassette tape. The necklace belonged to Umm Kulthum, a daughter from a poor Nile Delta village who became Egypt's favorite diva until her death in 1975. Her voice was big and strong, yet nuanced, attuned to the whims of love and broken love and all the human rhythms in-between. She sang poetry and verse. Wearing sunglasses and coiffed hair, her hands rising amid the orchestra, Kulthum could put you in a place and gently bring you back.

She was loved throughout the Arab world; millions attended her funeral. Her necklace of nine rows of pearls will be auctioned by Christie's in April, according to the Associated Press. I remember the first time I heard her voice on a scratchy car radio in Cairo. It was years ago. I was rushing for a plane. Her phrasing soothed me. I didn't understand the words, but the voice was pure, transcending language and time.

— Jeffrey Fleishman in Cairo

Photo: Umm Kulthum / Credit: Arabfilm.com

IRAQ: Art in troubled times

Here's a treat for visitors to the blog. The fine proprietor of Baghdad's Afnan Gallery gave us a CD with images of paintings by some of his stable of Iraqi artists. Sadly, many of them now ply their trade abroad. Iraq was once home to some of the most talented artists in the Middle East. We'll try to highlight their work on Babylon & Beyond every now and then.

— Borzou Daragahi in Baghdad

Artist: Falah al-Saidi /  Courtesy: Afnan Gallery

LEBANON: Of glitter and gold

The Lebanese like their objects glittery. From the dawn of time, their most acclaimed ancestors, the Phoenicians, used to cover their famous soldier figurines with a layer of gold.

For Lebanese artist Hicham Ghandour, the sophisticated art of gilding has lost nothing of its glitz today, even in a country teetering on the brink of violence. While most of his compatriots are packing their suitcases to flee a bleak political and economic situation, Ghandour is putting down roots in his homeland after working for many years in New York.

This antique lover, who worked in restoration at the Metropolitan Museum, and silver-coated a floor lamp for Lenny Kravitz, says he wants to add "a touch of beauty and luxury" to the lives of his countrymen. Recently, he opened a workshop in an old building, where he painstakingly applies layers of gold or platinum on old wooden chairs and mirror frames for his wealthy customers. According to him, his technique is pretty much the same as the one used during the age of the Pharaohs. 

"People tell me that I am crazy, but here I feel home," he says, speaking from his atelier located in the charming and trendy Gemmayze neighborhood of Beirut. With an eye on jet-setters from the Persian Gulf, Ghandour believes that his art, which he contends transforms the banal into precious, will cause a sensation in the region.

Meanwhile, for those with a real taste for gold, he makes cakes garnished with edible gold leaves.

— Raed Rafei in Beirut

Photo: Hicham Ghandour has a taste for gold. Credit: Raed Rafei

IRAN: The writing on the wall in Tehran

For the last four years Amir Ali has made spraying the walls of the Iranian capital with colorful designs his mission in life. His signature, or tag as graffiti artists call it, is "Bam-Bam," after the tough little kid Bamm-Bamm in "The Flintstones" cartoon series. Babylon & Beyond recently caught up with him.

“Two or three times I have been chased by police in Tehran while I was  putting my signature 'Bam-Bam' at the end of my drawing," he said. "Once the police officer even threatened he would shoot his gun, but I did not listen and I just ran and fled from the scene.”

Believe it or not, the 18-year-old high school student is part of a coterie of like-minded graffiti and underground artists prowling the streets, viaducts and bridges of Tehran. 

IRAN: Dreams of each other in Tehran

Recently Tehran's House of Iranian Artists held an exhibition by a young Afghan photojournalist named Fardin Waezi. The lovely old mansion in downtown Tehran has become the site of a political tug-of-war between hard-liners, not so hard-liners and so-called modernizers in the city government. They all want control over the building.

Occasionally, however, some decent paintings and photographs are shown there, so it's still worth a visit.

Organizers were still putting up Waezi's extraordinary pictures from his war-torn land, along with descriptions in Farsi and English.

Many of the people at the exhibit were young Afghan actors playing roles as laborers on Iranian soap operas. They complained about the discrimination they suffered, such as being barred from studying at Iranian high schools or getting a jobs even after graduating from Iranian universities or being derided on the streets as "Afghanis," even though some had been born and raised in Iran.

Still, they were proud that Waezi's photos were being shown at so prestigious a venue. The exhibit included poems written by the photographer.

Springs smile!
The spring along with its lovable smile
Season of flowers
Blossoms and beauty for you, and me,
The spring is waiting to you to come and plant a sapling
For our future and the future of lovely Afghanistan.

His photographs of Kabul harkened back to scenes from Tehran 40 or 50 years ago. "Perhaps today's Ankara or Dubai are our fast-forward?" said one Iranian woman visiting the exhibit.

As a character in Iranian filmmaker Bahram Baizai's 1992 "The Travelers," says, "We are all dreams of each other."

— Ramin Mostaghim in Tehran

Photo: A picture of joy from Afghanistan by photojournalist Fardin Waezi, who was featured at a recent exhibit in Tehran. Credit: Fardin Waezi

LEBANON: No government, no worries

Lebanese lawmakers have delayed for a seventh time since Sept. 25 the naming of a president. They're set to convene Tuesday when they may work on changing the constitution to allow army chief Michel Suleiman to become president and name a new government.

Former President Emile Lahoud left his post last month, and for two weeks the Lebanese have been regularly grumbling that, for the first time in their history since independence, they don't have a president. In the clip below a video artist colors the cedar tree in Lebanon's flag black instead of gren. "Let's fill the void," the caption reads, urging politicians from rival camps to put aside their differences and name a president.