Syria and the Future of Art: an Intimate Portrait
Following the banishment of Bashar Al-Assad, Syrian artists are starting to return and exhibit new work at home and internationally.
Arie Amaya-Akkermans
Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abou-Rahme: Palestinian artists at Copenhagen’s Glyptotek
Palestinian artist duo Basel Abbas & Ruanne Abou-Rahme fight anti-Arab propaganda by making challenging art.
Lin May Saeed
The November 2024 featured artist is the late German-Iraqi sculptor Lin May Saeed, much of whose work celebrated the animal world.
Beyond Rubble—Cultural Heritage and Healing After Disaster
Art, activism, archaeology, and archiving are crucial for rebuilding and healing cities by combining the past and present.
Life Along Istanbul’s Byzantine Walls, a Review
Arie Amaya-Akkermans on a book that reviews not only Turkey’s social and political deterioration over the last decade, but also the violence of the past, both recent and distant.
Paris, Abstraction and the Art of Yvette Achkar
Arie Amaya-Akkermans delves into Yvette Achkar's compelling artwork depicting the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
The Myth of the West: A Discontinuous History
Arie Amaya-Akkermans reviews "The West: a new history of an old idea" that argues how the West was invented to justify imperialism.
The Oath of Cyriac: Recovery or Spin?
In Olivier Bourgeois' docudrama "The Oath of Cyriac," professionals and volunteers race to preserve the Aleppo collection.
Cyprus: Return to Petrofani with Ali Cherri & Vicky Pericleous
Arie Amaya-Akkermans talks to Lebanese and Cypriot artists about their work on the divided island of Cyprus.
Meditations on Occupation, Architecture, Urbicide
In Gaza, the rubble and ruin must remain in full view not only as evidence of war crimes, but as living testimonies of shattered lives.
The Archaeology of War
All the pasts of war are still contemporary, and continue shaping the present, killing its denizens, and erasing their memories.
Memory Art: Water and Islands in the Work of Hera Büyüktaşçıyan
Arie Amaya-Akkermans does a deep dive into the fascinating career of Istanbul-born Greek Armenian artist Hera Büyüktaşçıyan.
Traveling Through Turkey With Gertrude Bell and Pat Yale
Arie Amaya-Akkermans reviews Pat Yale's latest book that follows in the footsteps of Gertrude Bell while highlighting Turkey's rich history.
On Museums and the Preservation of Cultural Heritage
Arie Amaya-Akkermans on the history of war, colonialism, memory and how museums strive to preserve and display artifacts and art.
The Ghost of Gezi Park—Turkey 10 Years On
An art critic comments on the 10th anniversary of the Gezi Park protests with an overview of a decade of corresponding Turkish art.
Deniz Goran’s New Novel Contrasts Art and the Gezi Park Protests
A novel about "toxic authoritarianism" and how it has shaped the lives of countless young persons in Turkey, sometimes through exile.
Newly Re-Opened, Beirut’s Sursock Museum is a Survivor
Arie Amaya-Akkermans recounts the history of Beirut's museum, with its multiple destructions and resurrections.
For Those Who Dwell in Tents, Home is Temporal—Or Is It?
Home is increasingly an elusive quality in an era of war, climate disaster, economic collapse and family misfortune.
Letter From Turkey—Antioch is Finished
TMR's senior writer in Turkey, Arie Amaya-Akkermans, travels to one of the worst-hit areas to survey earthquake damage and talk to survivors.
On Lebanon and Lamia Joreige’s “Uncertain Times”
Arie Amaya-Akkermans reflects on Lamia Joreige's "Uncertain Times," which represents the Lebanese wars and their aftermath.
Film Review: “Memory Box” on Lebanon Merges Art & Cinema
Arie Akkersmans-Amaya reviews the latest film by Lebanese artist duo Joana Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige, whom he interviews.
On “True Love Leaves No Traces”
From Leonard Cohen to Apollo and Daphne to French philosopher Jean-Lun Nancy, Arie Akkermans-Amaya looks at the influences of an Istanbul exhibition.
(G)Hosting the Past: On Michael Rakowitz’s “Reapparitions”
Arie Akkermans reviews an Iraqi American's exhibitions as they attempt to recreate missing and destroyed artifacts taken from the National Museum of Iraq after the American invasion in 2003.
Etel Adnan’s Sun and Sea: In Remembrance
Art critic Arie Amaya-Akkermans summons the gods of art and poetry as he reviews the life work of the late polymath Etel Adnan, 1925-2021.
War Diary: The End of Innocence
Arie Amaya-Akkermans investigates Agenda 1979: Imagine sitting at home in the presence of a handbook for destroying, bombing, maiming and injuring. The poet Etel Adnan features prominently.