TMR World Picks are selected by our editors. We welcome your suggestions: editors@themarkaz.org
TMR
Randa Mirza, “Beirutopia” in the Rencontres de la Photographie
Throughout July/Aug, Arles —more info
Randa Mirza is an accomplished Lebanese photographer; BEIRUTOPIA is a visual essay with a biographical scope, premonitory of the multidimensional crisis — political, financial and social — that Lebanon is going through. This monographic exhibition takes a critical look at the brutal transformation of post-war Beirut through seven works produced between 2000 and 2022.
Talk: Land, Water and Destruction: Israel’s Ecocide in Palestine
July 16, SOAS, online/UK —more info
A debate on the impact of the Israeli war and occupation on Palestine’s environment and the climate crisis in the Middle East. Gain a deeper understanding on how the Israeli onslaught on Gaza and military governance of Palestine impacts water, land and other resources of Palestinians. This in-person event promises to be eye-opening and thought-provoking.
To join the livestream online, click here.
Speakers include Yasmeen El-Hasan, Sarona Bedwan, and Dr Muna Dajani.
Concert of Colors: Peace, Love & Understanding
July 16—21, Detroit, US —more info
The Concert of Colors Forum on Community, Culture & Race, one of the Arab American National Museum’s signature annual events, is a dynamic gathering of artists, activists and advocates who use art and dialogue as a tool for advocacy and community building. This is a free family-friendly event located indoors and outdoors at the Detroit Institute of Arts with performances at Metro Detroit’s cultural institutions. For full line-up, see here.
Contemporary Arab Cinema at BAM Film 2024
Ongoing — July 18, Hagob Kevorkian Center at NYU, US —more info
Part of BAM Film 2024 and now in its sixth year, this festival highlights new works from the boldest filmmakers in the Middle East and North Africa, bringing forth the diversity and complexity of the modern Arab world. The films present 12 compelling narratives, both fiction and documentaries, among them from Yemen, Egypt, Iraq, Sudan, and Palestine. Our personal favorite is screening on July 18: Based on an incredible true story, Voy! Voy! Voy! relates the tale of Hassan (Mohamed Farrag), an Egyptian man who dreams of escaping poverty in Cairo, and fakes a visual impairment in order to join a team bound for the Blind Football World Cup in Poland. There will be a Q&A with director Omar Hilal following the screening.
Présences Arabes: Modern Art and Decolonization, Paris 1908-1988
Ongoing —August 25, The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris — more info
The exhibition highlights more than 130 avant-garde Arab artists whose works constitute an essential contribution to the history of modern art in the 20th century. The exhibition itinerary is built around different trajectories of artists who studied in the fine arts schools of their countries before coming to study and settle in Paris to continue their training.
Présences Arabes begins in 1908, the year of the arrival of Lebanese poet and artist Khalil Gibran in Paris and the opening of the School of Fine Arts in Cairo. It ends in 1988, with the first exhibition devoted to contemporary Arab artists at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris and with the exhibition Singuliers: bruts ou naïfs, with among others the Moroccan artist Chaïbia Tallal and the Tunisian artist Jaber Al-Mahjoub, presented at the children’s museum of Paris’ Museum of Modern Art.
Bittersweet: A Story of Food and Yemen Tours
July 20, Liverpool Arabic Center, UK—more info
A guided food tour of Yemeni eateries on Lodge Lane, UK, to experience the unique culinary flavors from different regions of Yemen. The event is inspired by the photography book Bittersweet: A Journey of Food and Yemen by Sayed Asif Mahmud (Medina Publishing, 2024), with contributions from Marta Colburn and Jessica Olneywhich. The photography book celebrates Yemen’s vibrant culture and its diverse culinary heritage.
Almost Legal Alien: Arab Libyan stand-up comedian Mustafa Algiyadi
July 21, The Glitch, London — more info
Libyan Arab stand-up Mustafa Algiyadi (the co-founder of the first weekly and longest-running English Stand Up Comedy Club in Munich) longs to be part of the European way of life but is confronted with some cultural differences that make it confusing, chaotic, and sometimes highly inappropriate! If you’re up for picking apart bad habits, religion, meditation, velvet sofas and for learning how to deal with annoying people, then why are you not booking your ticket already?!?
Seattle Arab Festival
July 27—28, Seattle, US—more info
Part of the Seattle Center Festál series, this is free and open to the public. Seattle Arab Festival (SAF) is a nonprofit organization run entirely by volunteers dedicated to showcasing the richness and diversity of Arab culture. It features a variety of vendors, performances, food, cultural booths, and more. One of their highlights for this edition is “Bridges to Palestine” in which visitors can celebrate Arab culture and build bridges to Palestine through cultural performances, informative exhibits, and engaging dialogue.
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