The term Arab art conjures up images of Mamluk architectural masterpieces dating back centuries, colorful tiles adorned with beautiful geometric patterns from Palestine preserved in museums or on the walls of historic buildings, delicate glasswork from Syria, and other aspects of the rich cultural history of the region. In the public imagination, Arab art seems to unexplainably end at a certain point and little interest has been given to more recent decades. However, the Arab world has continued to produce some groundbreaking artists who are increasingly becoming known internationally for their original takes on issues facing the region. We decided to fast-forward a little throughout the history of Arab art to focus on some of the most important and thought-provoking contemporary Arab artists to come to the fore.
Tammam Azzam is a Syrian artist now living in Germany who has spent the last decade trying to come to terms with the loss of his homeland and the tragedy of the Syrian Civil War through his art. One particularly effective set of images by Azzam was entitled Syrian Museum and juxtaposed images of the destruction left by the Syrian Civil War with famous paintings.
