Islamic Art Now: Contemporary Art from the Middle East

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) presents Islamic Art Now: Contemporary Art of the Middle East, the first major exhibition of LACMA's holdings of Middle Eastern contemporary art—the largest such institutional collection in the United States. In recent years, the parameters of Islamic art at LACMA have expanded to include contemporary works by artists from or with roots in the Middle East. Drawing inspiration from their own cultural traditions, these artists use techniques and incorporate imagery and ideas from earlier periods.  As the first of a two-part exhibition program, Islamic Art Now features 25 works—including photography, sculpture, video, and installation—by 20 artists from Iran and the Arab world, including Wafaa Bilal, Lalla Essaydi, Hassan Hajjaj, Mona Hatoum, Susan Hefuna, Youssef Nabil, Shirin Neshat, and Mitra Tabrizian, among others. Most of the works in Islamic Art Now have never been displayed previously at LACMA.

 Image credits:

Shirin Neshat, Speechless, 1996, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Purchased with funds provided by Jamie McCourt through the 2012 Collectors Committee, © Shirin Neshat, courtesy Gladstone Gallery, New York and Brussels, photo © 2014 Museum Associates/LACMA

Amir Mousavi, Untitled, #8, from the series Lost in Wonderland I, 2011, 1/5, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Purchased with funds provided by Art of the Middle East: Contemporary, © Amir Mousavi, photo © 2014 Museum Associates/LACMA

Wafaa Bilal, Chair, from the series Ashes, 2003-2013, 1/5, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Purchased with funds provided by Art of the Middle East: CONTEMPORARY, © Wafaa Bilal, photo © 2014 Museum Associates/LACMA

Susan Hefuna, Woman Behind Mashrabiya I, 1997, artist's proof from an edition of 5 and 1 artist's proof, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Purchased with funds provided by Ann Colgin and Joe Wender, Kelvin Davis, John and Carolyn Diemer, Andy Gordon and Carlo Brandon, Deborah McLeod, and David and Mary Solomon through the 2013 Collectors Committee, © Susan Hefuna, photo © 2014 Museum Associates/LACMA

 

Exhibition: Islamic Art Now: Contemporary Art from the Middle East On View: February 1, 2015–ongoing Location: Ahmanson Building, Level 4