Works by 21 artists from the Middle East goes opened last Friday at London s Saatchi Gallery, with Iranians strongly represented.
Unveiled: New Art From The Middle East runs to May 6 at the leading modern art gallery and also features work by Palestinian, Lebanese and Iraq artists among others.
The 11 Iranian artists include Shirin Fakhim, whose grotesque figures made from everyday objects like rope, wigs and an abacus are inspired by the prostitutes of Tehran.
Wafa Hourani, who lives and works in Ramallah in the West Bank, takes an unflinching look at the realities of Palestinian life, with one work imagining life in a Palestinian refugee camp in 2067.
Art from the Middle East is beginning to have its moment, said Saatchi Gallery spokeswoman Rebecca Wilson. The number of artists emerging from the Middle East is going to go up considerably.
The Saatchi Gallery is one of London s leading spaces for modern art. Its founder Charles Saatchi is closely associated with the Britart movement which encompassed artists like Damien Hirst. -AFP
