Saatchi shows art critical of Islam

„Ghosts“, © Kader Attia

Charles Saatchi is well known for his habit to show exhibitions in his gallery that polarise the public. Back in 1999 his travelling exhibition „The Sensation“ stopped over at the New York Brooklyn Museum and showed Chris Ofili’s „Holy virgin Mary“, a painting entirely made of elephant dung which opened a long and heated debate among political bigwigs such as the former mayor Giuliani and present United Secretary of States Hillary Clinton. Similar reactions on the latest exhibition of the Saatchi Gallery, „Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East“, can be expected.

The gallery shows almost 90 works being critical of Islam, most of them paintings, made by 21 artists coming from the Middle East. One of its rooms is dedicated to Kader Attia’s installation „Ghosts“. As one enters the niche almost 80 kneeling figures all wrapped up in aluminium foil catch one’s eye. But when facing the praying women you gaze into space, into the inside of a worthless and empty shell – thus being an impressive metaphor for the perception of women widespread in the Arabian world.

Untitled, from the series „Like everyday“, © Shadi Ghadirian

The series „Like everyday“ by the Iranian artist Shadi Ghadirian is meaningful as well. Seven large-size photographies show veiled women, however, not under deep black garment but in colourful and by Arabic standards rather modern fabric. Their faces are covered with household appliances such as a sieve, a broom or a flatiron – which positions the women’s role somewhere between a conservative social order and the confident emancipation of women.

With „Unveiled: New Art from the Middle East“ Charles Saatchi, the son of Jewish parents and of Iraqi descent, seems to have opened another exhibition which could make quite a splash. Critical reactions from the arts scene or the big newspapers‘ feature pages may be expected; and, more interesting, from Muslim countries as well. However, the exhibition does not only discuss Arabian taboo subjects, most important: it gives a small insight into contemporary art of the Middle East. It is not a quite representative one but at least a brief glimpse which clearly shows that this kind of art can be definitively critical.

What do you think about the latest exhibition of the Saatchi Gallery? Is it for the sheer sensation or for artistic interest? The overdue clarification of the western position on female rights? Or just a distorted view on Arabian contemporary art? Pass your comment!

* Since I receive more and more visitors from a collection of reviews on www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk I decided to translate the original post to English. Let me know if there are any mistakes in my language, please.