Contemporary Art in the Middle East: Symposium at the Tate

Fikret Atay
Rebels of the Dance 2002
Tate © Fikret Atay

This two-day symposium looks like a fantastic event for artists, academics, writers, critics, gallery-goers, and anyone interested in arts. It boasts a great balance of academic speakers, curators, journalists and artists -- and there's a specific session on translation:

Session Two: Writing and Translation

How does the interpretation and contextualisation of modern and contemporary art from the Middle East effect its understanding at home and abroad? What is lost in the process of translation and how can it be reclaimed to encourage deeper and more nuanced readings? This session explores writing on art and translation as well as broader issues of access and interpretation.

16:15–-16:45
Keynote Talk: Mourid Barghouti (poet and author, I Saw Ramallah)

16:45–17:30
Panel Discussion with Mourid Barghouti, Negar Azimi (senior editor, Bidoun), Pat Binder (artist, curator, publisher, Nafas Art Magazine), Gerhard Haupt (art-historian, curator and publisher, Nafas Art Magazine), Nada Shabout (Associate Professor Art History, University North Texas), and Anas Al-Shaikh (artist and curator). Chaired by Salah Hassan (Professor, Cornell University and editor, nka)

The event takes place Thursday 22 January 2009, 14.00–18.00 (Tate Britain) and Friday 23 January 2009, 10.30–18.00 (Tate Modern). Tickets are £40 (£30 concessions) and can be booked online.