REVOLUTION GENERATIONS
MATHAF: ARAB MUSEUM OF MODERN ART, DOHA
CURATOR Abdellah Karroum
October 17 2018 – February 16 2019 

A ground-breaking exhibition curated by Mathaf Director Abdellah Karroum will present artists from the Arab World, Turkey, Iran and the diaspora. It investigates important moments of change in the history of modern and contemporary art; specifically the 1950s - 1960s Post-Independence era, followed by the period between 1970s - 1990s, and the Pre-revolutions of the 2000s when underground artistic movements developed in the region in response to the absence of freedom of expression.

Offering a historical narrative, Revolution Generations introduces artists as vital actors of social and cultural change in each of these periods of modern and contemporary history.

The exhibition is staged in three parts. Chapter one looks at the fight for independence in North Africa, the Middle East countries and beyond in the 1950s, and the beginning of new languages in art and literature. Chapter two shows works by artists who are part of the Pan-Arab cultural movement in the 1970s. Chapter three presents the generation of artists who prefigured the Arab Spring. They invented new vocabularies to portray these societies undergoing change.

Works on show are drawn from the extensive collection of Mathaf, alongside loans from international public and private collections, and from artists and galleries. The exhibition also includes archives, artist encounters and screenings.