Events with a huge impact: on 4th January this year, the day when Mohamed Bouazizi from Tunisia self-immolated, it was impossible to predict what this act born of desperation would unleash. Since then – as we are all well aware - numerous Arab countries have been caught up in a wave of insurgencies and revolutions. Some of these were nipped in the bud, whilst others fed into an enduring protest movement and triggered regime change. A power structure that had long appeared unshakeable and largely resistant to change suddenly became fragile and unstable, with people risking their lives to contest it. The realisation that the massive upsurge of resistance to the authoritarianism so widespread in the region did not appear out of the blue makes intuitive sense, as does the awareness that this movement can de facto not be ascribed to individual acts such as the aforementioned self-immolation. To date however there is still a dearth of more precise analyses of the points of departure and reasons underpinning this movement, which has now gained so much strength; above all, there is little analysis of how viable and fit for the future this movement will prove to be.
This edition seeks to pick up on some symptoms of the profound changes emerging at present. Whilst not seeking to offer a comprehensive presentation and analysis, this edition approaches the discussion through the prism of those places that affect authors in their own immediate context and in terms of their own projection mechanisms. This encompasses both rapidly voiced hopes that everything will be turned on its head in a distant, yet strongly networked corner of the world, and exaggerated fears rooted in cultural stereotypes and clichéd gloom-mongering. The question of the »standpoint« from which art and cultural concerns follow the events or stand in opposition to them is explored, as is the issue of the scope to influence the transitional processes that are now unfolding (even if that influence should prove to be limited and distant).
A glance at the daily commentaries in the media reveals that these dramatic changes go hand-in-hand with a plethora of hopes and fears. Hopes that at last a sustained wave of democratisation will sweep across this region, so long characterised by despotism; fears that possibly even more reactionary or more totalitarian tendencies may gain the upper hand. Political scientist Gilbert Achcar, who is extremely well-versed in political systems across the Arab world, plumps firmly for the first option: even if a whole host of obstacles exist and setbacks will certainly arise, in a number of countries a kind of »springtime of the people« is dawning, akin to that which slowly began to spread across Europe after 1848. In contrast Nehad Selaiha, the grande dame of political theatre in Egypt, is somewhat more cautious, despite agreeing in essence with Achcar in respect of young contemporary art. Her autobiographical genealogy of everything she has experienced since the 1950s under the banner of »revolution« in Cairo’s Tahrir Square gives rise to the insight that a renegotiation of Arab identity is one of the most significant consequences of the insurgencies. In their exploration of the recent trend to advocate lesbian and gay rights in the Arab world, Maya Mikdashi and R.M reveal sometimes strange ramifications of widespread Western »Islamophobia«.
Certain Arab states, in particular the emirates in the Persian Gulf, have long taken an extremely open-minded stance on the cultural front. In an overview taking in this year’s Sharjah Biennial, the Art Dubai and presentations by individual countries at the current Venice Biennale, Nat Muller considers the question of the extent to which individual artistic practices from the region, irrespective of the contexts in which they are presented, provide supportive input for the current wave of democratisation. The question of whether these practices primarily serve Western projections, as Muller also hints, takes centre-stage in Walid Raad’s artistic contribution. Abu Dhabi and its unparalleled megalomaniac boom in construction and the cultural industry provide the point of departure for Raad’s work, which focuses on the controversial Guggenheim project along with other large-scale architectural schemes. In a sense as a complement to this, a work by Alice Creischer and Andreas Siekmann examines Dubai’s urban development in a broader time-frame, portraying their findings using statistical visual design methods.
The essay from Tunisian artists’ collective Muzaq adopts a tack more directly related to recent events and more intimately involved with them. Their stocktaking, a kind of first-hand inventory of everything that has now become possible in the wake of the dramatic system-change in Tunisia, underscores the welling-up of artistic activity that is emerging right now in many places. Although Daho Djerbal’s essay, which takes a historical perspective on the situation, warns that the consequences of a long history of colonialism and despotism cannot simply be shaken off, fleeting moments or prospects for future democratisation scenarios are most definitely taking shape (even if these may be transient and fragile).
Whilst it is impossible to foresee at present how developments will unfold in the longer term, »Arabia in Flux« seeks through this kind of spotlight to identify criteria for an emancipation process slowly starting to take hold. Even if it is not possible to determine how widely the recently initiated movement will spread, these signs and symptoms may indeed constitute something like the first glimmers of hope.