Twelve Gates Arts (Philadelphia)

6pm | Opening Reception

Back to the Future: History and Contemporary Art in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia

The group exhibition considers the work of artists from the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia that address the enduring presence of the past. History is not something that is simply from long ago, safely tucked away like a box of old things in a storage room. It does not remain hidden until we decide to look through those objects and pictures containing so many memories. Instead it is all around us, cluttering our daily existence. In formerly colonized or occupied areas of the world, the previous rulers continue to impact life there albeit in transformed ways. They carry on like ghosts in the machine. Oftentimes they are given more significance than the current residents. By acknowledging the past, the artists in “Back to the Future” offer new images of a bygone era in order to shed light on contemporary times.

Artists: Risham Syed, Hasnat Mehmood, Susan Hefuna, and Ali Cherri
 
Twelve Gates Arts (Philadelphia)> MAP
106 N 2nd St, Philadelphia

Above: Hasnat Mehmood, National Museum, New Delhi, Made in Pakistan, 2017, Graphite on paper, 22×27.5 inches