Artistic Flows From the Levant to North Africa in the 1970s

Episode 139: Artistic Flows From the Levant to North Africa in the 1970s

The International Art Exhibition for Palestine opened in Beirut in 1978 with nearly 200 artists from 30 countries. For over a decade, Rasha Salti and Kristine Khouri led a research project to uncover the history of this and other art collections/museums built in solidarity with political causes, and map networks of artists, intellectuals and activists that extended from these projects. The Moroccan chapter revealed links and practices from publications like Souffles, to proximity of the PLO’s office to writers and artists, and the work and interventions by artists bringing work to public space and out of the galleries. 

Kristine Khouri is a researcher whose background is in Arab cultural history and art history. Her interests began in the history of arts circulation, exhibition and infrastructure in the Middle East and North Africa as well as archives, practices in and with them, and knowledge dissemination. In the past few years, she has been focused on critical engagement with digital archives, and issues that emerge from them including rights, access, and language. She co-led, with Rasha Salti, the Past Disquiet research project unearthing the histories of exhibitions and museums in exile, and transnational solidarity in the arts in the 1970s. Kristine is currently a board member of the Arab Image Foundation in Beirut.

This episode is part of the Modern Art in the Maghrib series, and was recorded on March 3, 2022, via Zoom.  This is part of a larger Council of American Overseas Research Centers program organized by the Centre d'Études Maghrébines à Tunis (CEMAT) and financed by the Andrew Mellon Foundation that seeks to collaborate with local institutions for a greater awareness of art historical research in North Africa.

We thank the duo Ÿuma for use of their song, "Smek", from their album Chura for the introduction and conclusion of this podcast.   Posted by: Hayet Lansari, Librarian, Outreach Coordinator, Content Curator (CEMA).