The Medium: Curation and Exhibition

Montreal, Canada

Curated by Sundus Abdul Hadi

An ADI and The Medium collaboration

“Ink Tank: Prints from the Arab World” is a print-based exhibition featuring works by photographers, cartoonists, graffiti and graphic artists. As part of the ADI (Arab Development Initiative) Development Lounge held in September 2014 in Montreal, this collective exhibition aims to put forth artworks by a number of young Arab artists working in various media.

Under the thematic umbrella “Mind / Society / Space“, this exhibition focuses on issues of identity during times of instability in the Arab World. How do we define ourselves amidst the chaos of uncertainty? Should we? Can we? The artists selected for the exhibition have produced artworks that are reflections of our fluctuating realities, as outlets of resistance and hope.

Artists hailing from Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia and Palestine present the viewer with an alternate perspective from what is widely seen in the mainstream media about their region. The works speak on the importance of self-expression, whether through graffiti, political satire and cartoons, documentary photography, or subversion through doctored graphics. Moreover, they show the artists’ desire to highlight culture and identity, whether transforming, contemporary or rooted in history. They are the mirrors of who we were, are, and who we can become.

Featured Artists:

Myriam Abdel Aziz

Tamara Abdul Hadi

Sundus Abdul Hadi

Khalid Albaih

Sedki Al Imam

Susu Attar

Nidal El Khairy

El Seed

Karim Jabbari

Syrian Eyes of the World (various artists)