Collecting and displaying contemporary Middle Eastern Art and Design at the V&A: a comparative analysis of museum practices
Lead Research Organisation:
Birkbeck, University of London
Department Name: History of Art
Abstract
Collecting and displaying contemporary Middle Eastern Art and Design at the V&A: a comparative analysis of museum
practices
practices
| Description | I have developed an overview of collecting and exhibition practices focused on non western cultures in UK national museums. I discovered our notion of contemporary cultural is steeped in assumptions about the past and framed by western scholarship. For example our definition of 'Middle East' in the UK often does not coincide with the definition of Middle East within the region. There is a broader point regarding the language we use to describe other cultures: it is limited by a Eurocentric perspective first, but most importantly it does not always reflect the reality of the actual traits of contemporary culture in a region we choose to study. I discovered that this understanding can only be achieved by establishing a dialogue with cultural practitioners in the region and by allowing those who live in the cultures we want to study to set the agenda, the platform and the tone of the discussion. |
| Exploitation Route | I am about to embark on a placement in Sharjah UAE, where I hope to use the platform of the Sharjah Art Foundation (my host institution) to instigate cross boundary/institution debates on acquisition and exhibition policy and on the question of "Middle Eastern Contemporary Art", a category in which rarely artists would see themselves fit. I hope that by bringing together UK institutions with their regional counterparts on this topic, an exchange can be created to refine institutional policies and therefore offer the public a more nuanced, less essentialist/regionalised perspective on the practice of many artists. |
| Sectors | Creative Economy,Education,Culture, Heritage, Museums and Collections |
| Description | London Art History Society Fund 2019 |
| Amount | £300 (GBP) |
| Organisation | London Art History Society |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 05/2019 |
| End | 05/2019 |
| Description | Placement at Sharjah Art Foundation |
| Organisation | Sharjah Art Foundation |
| Country | United Arab Emirates |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | Research placement focusing on the development of acquisition policy at the Foundation, to create a comparative analysis with UK institutions. On my part I will contribute to the organisation of the Foundation's archive and research on their history. |
| Collaborator Contribution | SAF is providing access to archives across Sharjah for the purposes of my research |
| Impact | The 6 months placement is now complete. Research undertaken to improve accessible information on SAF collections. Further external collaboration with Art Jameel led to study on organisational policies of small/medium size art institutions in the region, to further support a benchmarking study on collecting/display practices which is part of the research outcomes submitted to AHRC. |
| Start Year | 2019 |