All eyes are now on the contemporary artists of the Arab world.
"Arab Express" introducing the artworks by roughly 30 artists from the Arabian Peninsula and surrounding Arab countries, is the first exhibition of its kind ever to be held in Japan.
Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World
Saturday, 16 June - Sunday, 28 October, 2012
This time, "Arab in One Minute" explores the attractions of the Arab world in five themes.
You'll feel surely much more familiar with Arab culture after reading them all.
First in the series is "The Arab World on Screen."
The leading film producing country in the Arab world is Egypt. Egyptian films are such an overwhelmingly popular form of entertainment throughout the region. While the Arab world is characterized by many different "dialects," there are many people who understand the Egyptian way of speaking, and it is said that this is due in part to the popularity of Egyptian films.
Representative Egyptian film director, Youssef Chahine
MISR INTERNATIONAL FILMS (YOUSSEF CHAHINE)
One of the most important figures in Egyptian film is the late director Youssef Chahine. In 1951, his Son of the Nile became the first Arab film to be shown at the Cannes International Film Festival, and in 1997 he was awarded the festival's 50th Anniversary Prize for lifetime achievement. That year the festival included his Destiny, a satire on the excesses of Islamism that depicts the life of the 12th century Arab philosopher Ibn Rushd (Averroes). Known variously as the Egyptian Kurosawa Akira, or the Egyptian Federico Fellini, Chahine made dozens of films - including also his three-part Alexandria series, which began with Alexandria... Why? He passed away in 2008 at age 82 having led the Arab film world for more than half a century.
In Japan, Destiny is available on DVD, but opportunities to see his other works are rare. The other well-known film about the Arab world is of course Lawrence of Arabia. This wasn't truly an "Arab film" as it was a British production, but it is nevertheless interesting as it is set in a period that can be called the origin of the present-day Arab world. The period is the First World War and Lawrence, an officer in the British army, assists an "Arab uprising" against the Ottoman Empire.
Lawrence of Arabia
DVD on sale for \1,480（tax included）
Sony Pictures Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
A Scene from Paradise Now 90 min
A Scene from Paradise Now
A Scene from Paradise Now
Look closely at a map of the Middle East. Do not the borders of the various countries look like they have been drawn with a ruler? Doesn't it seem a little unnatural? This is the result of settlements made after the First World War. As the Ottoman Empire was dismantled, Britain and France divided up the region without consideration for ethnic or religious groups into so-called "mandates," which were in effect colonies.
Tarek Al-Ghoussein
Untitled 23 (D Series)
2008-09
Collection of the artist
The Middle East's current national borders have since become the motivation and motif for various artistic works, and film is no exception. For example, Paradise Now and The Syrian Bride each tell a story in which national borders play a key role. They are available on DVD in Japan. And in "Arab Express," too, there is a series of photographs by Tarek Al-Ghoussein titled Untitled 23 (D Series), and it too is about national borders. Before you look at the photographs think for a minute about what it means for national borders to be as straight as a ruler.
Text: Watanabe Satoru
Journalist, photographer. Reported on the Iraq war in 2003 and has continued to report in Iraq since. Publications include Kurudo, Iraku, Kyukutsu na Hibi - Senso o Hitsuyo to Suru Hitobito (The Kurds, Iraq and Days of Feeling Locked In: The People For Whom War is a Necessity; Gendai Shokan). Also involved in editing the magazine Kikan Arabu (Arab), which is published four times per year.
季刊アラブ
What is "Arab in One Minute"?
An attempt to explore the attractions of the Arab world in five themes.
You'll surely feel much more familiar with Arab culture after reading them all.
Next update is scheduled to be on Wednesday, 18 April, 2012.
■Relevant information
・"Arab in One Minute"
File-01 The Arab World on Screen
File-02 My first time at the cafe, the meeting place of men
File-03 Lamb or Chicken, That Is the Question / Cuisine and Hospitality
File-04 Ruins from Time Immemorial: Mesopotamia, the Birthplace of Civilization
File-05 The Beauty is in the Geometry:Calligraphy and Arabesque
・Arab Express: The Latest Art from the Arab World
16 June - 28 October, 2012
