Duration: 6 weeks
Schedule: Sundays, 4:00–6:00 PM GMT | 12:00-2:00 PM EST
Start Date: September 21, 2025
End Date: October 26, 2025
Subject: Modern and Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA): Movements and Discourses
Language: English
Location: Online
Tutor: Dr Hamid Keshmirshekan
Certification: Participants will receive a certificate upon completion
Course Summary:
This course aims to address the major historical, conceptual, theoretical and aesthetic issues that inform the region’s modern and contemporary art paradigm. Arranged largely in chronological order, it will explore the art of the MENA region, with particular attention to Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco and Egypt, by tracing the underpinning discourses that have shaped artistic practices and transformations in the region since the 1930s. The course will examine the recent developments in art practice in the MENA and its diaspora and their wider context, analysing the impact of globalisation and other cultural and social links. Reflecting on recent exhibitions and curatorial projects, it aims to engage with new paradigms in contemporary art of the region, working through the issues of knowledge production and transfer, global versus regional perspectives and local identities. These concepts will be examined by means of pictorial analysis and close interrogation of the works of key artists (working with different media from painting and sculpture to photography, video, performance, installation and participatory projects).
Main Contents:
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Problem of Terminology
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Contextualising Historiography (‘Modern’ and ‘Contemporary’ Art of the MENA)
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Alternative Modernism: Avant-gardism vis-à-vis Cultural Authenticity
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Harmonising the Dichotomy of Past and Present
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Conceptualism and New Media
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Global versus Regional/local Discourses
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Diasporic Art
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Regional Artistic Events and Museum Infrastructure
Objectives and Learning Outcomes:
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Demonstrate an understanding of the key issues and approaches in the modern and contemporary art of the MENA
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Assess critically the materials and themes explored in the course
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Ability of critically analyse contemporary art forms in relation to local culture and politics in the formation, growth and/or abandonment of both ideological and cultural movements and their impact on historiographical theorisation of art of the MENA
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Articulate contextualisation of works of key artists and case studies examined in the course within the cultural and historical background by using appropriate vocabulary
First part
Modern Art
6 sessions, each 2 hours (12 hours)
This part explores the art of the modern art movements in MENA, with particular attention to Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Morocco and Egypt from the 1930s to the 1990s. The course will address key points about the problems of terminology: the problematic use of such terms as “Modern/Contemporary Islamic Art” and the frequent application of the terms “Modern” and “Contemporary” without sufficient acknowledgement of their contextual connotation. The examination of these concepts will be accompanied by a visual analysis of selected artists' works, mainly paintings and sculptures.
Mohamed Melehi, Flamme, 1975
Jawad Saleem, Woman Selling-Material,1953
Mohamed Melehi, Flamme, 1975
Mona Hatoum, Hot Spot, 2013
Hassan-Khan, Jewel, 2010
Mona Hatoum, Hot Spot, 2013
Second part
Contemporary Art
6 sessions, each 2 hours (12 hours)
As a continuation of the course “Modern Art,” this class examines the recent developments in art practice in the MENA region and its diaspora and their wider context, analysing the impact of globalisation and other transnational cultural and social links. Reflecting on recent exhibitions and curatorial projects, it aims to engage with new paradigms in contemporary art of the region. These concepts will be examined by means of pictorial analysis of the works of key artists (working with different media from painting and sculpture to photography, video, performance and installation…).
Tutor’s bio:
Hamid Keshmirshekan is an art historian, art critic and Senior Teaching Fellow at the School of Arts, SOAS, University of London. He was previously Associate Fellow at the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies and History of Art Department at Oxford University (2004-21), Associate Professor and head of History of Art department at the Advanced Research Institute of Art (ARIA), Iranian Academy of Arts (2010-17). He received his PhD in History of Art from SOAS, University of London in 2004 and was post-doctoral fellow at Oxford University (2004-5, 2008-9, 2011-13). Since 1994 he has taught art history and theory in British and Iranian universities, has organised several international conferences and events on aspects of modern and contemporary art of Iran and the MENA region, and has contributed extensively to various publications.
Hosted by CISTA ARTS.
Sundays: 4:00–6:00 PM GMT | 12:00-2:00 PM EST
Course Start Date: 21 September, 2025
Course End Date: 26 October, 2025
Course Fees*
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For each period (Modern and Contemporary), 6 sessions, each 2 hours (12 hours)
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£120 (Standard rate)
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£96 (With Students ID)
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Currently registration is open to the first part of the course (6 sessions, Modern Art)
* There is no requirement to enrol in both courses (Modern and Contemporary) at the same time. Registration for each part is done separately. All fee rates quoted are for the whole course.
When you have enrolled you will be sent the following email notifications:
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Payment confirmation: Is sent straight away following submission of your online application. Confirmation of your place on your course will follow later as long as the course recruits enough students to run. If not, you will receive a refund of your payment
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Enrolment confirmation: Confirms your course choice, your course's term dates, the day and time of the course
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Programme information: Is usually sent on Friday late afternoon the week before term starts, containing joining instructions for your course, either online or in the classroom, depending on the course
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Successful completion of this course leads to the award of an attendance certificate
If you need further help with the above information, please contact us at the following email address: