Translation/Tarjama

Translation/Tarjama will be a groundbreaking exhibition featuring the works of Middle Eastern artists who explore processes of cultural and artistic translation from different angles. We are considering the work of emerging and established artists, in the Middle East and in the diaspora, who explore the interplay between cultures and societies. Included in the theme is how multiple identities and affiliations are created and challenged, how people and places are connected through economics or politics, how different histories and traditions (including artistic) are interpreted, and the relationship between languages, images, and texts from different sources.

By focusing on a particular and compelling theme within the larger field of visual art from the Middle East, Translation/Tarjama will present a wholly unique view of artistic practice, and of the region and its Diasporas. Rather than "representing" the Middle East through a panorama of its art, this show will compare and contrast how artists have been exploring this one important dimension of social life, politics, and visual culture. Just as the show examines how artists engage with processes of translation, Translation/Tarjama will also challenge audience's preconceived frameworks for translating art from the Middle East. Reshuffling the pertinence of geographical boundaries through the multivalent practices of translation, this unprecedented exhibition features artists from the Middle East, Central Asia and its diasporas. The exhibition examines the different ways with which artists engage with people, objects, images, and ideas traveling across geographic spaces, media forms, histories, and personal contexts. Encompassing a variety of media and artistic strategies, Tarjama/Translation treats the multiple processes of translation as dynamic and complex, from linguistic and textual maneuvers, to the transformation of consciousness engendered by the increasingly globalized world.

Featured Artists

Ayad Alkadhi, Iraq, b. 1972
Nazgol Ansarinia, Iran, b. 1979
Hamdi Attia, Egypt, b. 1964
Lara Baladi, Egypt, b. 1969
Yto Barrada, Morocco, b. 1971
Esra Ersen, Turkey, b. 1970
Khaled Hafez, Egypt, b. 1963
Emily Jacir, Palestine, b. 1970
Pouran Jinchi, Iran, b. 1959
John Jurayj, USA, b. 1968
Gülsün Karamustafa, Turkey, b. 1946
Bouchra Khalili, Morocco, b. 1975
Almagul Menlibayeva, Kazakhstan, b.1969
Farhad Moshiri, Iran, b. 1963
Rabih Mroué, Lebanon, b. 1967
Rahraw Omarzad, Afghanistan, b. 1964
Khalil Rabah, Palestine, b. 1961
Khaled Ramadan, Lebanon, b. 1964
Michael Rakowitz, USA, b. 1973
Solmaz Shahbazi, Iran, b. 1971
Wael Shawky, Egypt, b. 1971
Mitra Tabrizian, Iran
Alexander Ugay, Kazakhstan, b. 1978
Sharif Waked, Israel/Palestine, b. 1964
Dilek Winchester, Turkey, b. 1974
Yelena Vorobyeva & Viktor Vorobyev,
Kazakhstan, b. 1959 & 1959
Akram Zaatari, Lebanon, b. 1966

Major support for Tarjama/Translation has been provided by the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts. Additional support provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York State Council on the Arts and the A. M. Qattan Foundation.