Exporting POP: A Western Fantasy Exhibition at the Al Sabah Collection at the Al Corniche

View of the Exporting Pop Exhibition at the Al-Sabah Collection at the Corniche Club (photo found on Alia Farid's 'Picasa' album)...

If, in short, Pop-Art entails the, almost Duchampian, reconfiguration of common signs and objects from the popular and commercial realm into a domain where the 'aesthetics' of such icons can be viewed, valued and considered according to a separate set of standards and merits distinct from their common context, what does such an approach encompass when applied to the Middle-East? In a region where the appropriation of popular iconography has been the norm rather than the exception, and where such copying of various more known trademarks (anything from Disney or Southpark characters to the logos of more high-end Italian fashion labels) have been applied without much risk of getting prosecuted for copyright infringement, the notion of Pop-Art gains a slightly different 'twang'. A locale where the expression and emphasis on originality hasn't gained the same revered position as it has in the West, and where the celebration of popular culture (and one could argue that the overbearing prevalence of popular culture in the region often manages to exclude any alternative, perhaps more 'high-brow or discourse based, means of expression), with their usually a bit skewed and heavy-handed representations of Mickey Mouse, Batman and copies of products ranging from DVDs to Gucci bags, (that can be viewed at many a local shop-front and for sale along sidewalks) has been the accepted standard and a common presence in the streetscape since the local rendition of the high-street has been around (the souk/ bazaar).

Here the idea of using elements from popular culture, a rendition of the notion of simulacra, needs to be reassessed as almost a copy of a copy - a form of meta-simulacra – that has in the process become saturated with some of the inherent qualities of the Gulf and the Middle-East. This almost evolutionary transition has resulted in a contemporary arabesque of intertwining ideas and adaptations that, due to their context, morph familiar, usually universal, elements into an interpretation that gains a strange new aura and character of its own.

Thus, in the context of the above, considering the notion of Pop-Art, and viewing some more recent renditions of related concepts here in Kuwait, becomes an interesting and thought provoking exercise in its own right.

Foreground - A sculpture by Phillip Maberry, exhibited at the Exporting Pop Exhibition at the Al-Sabah Collection at the Al-Corniche Club (photo found on Alia Farid's 'Picasa' album)...

The exhibition at the Al-Sabah Art & Design collection at the Al-Corniche Club provides thus an interesting marker in the contemporary cultural history of Kuwait. This exhibition, along with a select number of more recent parallel morsels of worthy cultural endeavours, is beginning to suggest that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Kuwait, as a (world class) cultural entity, is starting to come to its own.

For too often in the past, whilst visiting an exhibition or cultural event in Kuwait, a somewhat condescending [under]tone has prevailed the casual commentary that accompanies such events, i.e "the work is interesting (for Kuwait)", or, "the technical execution of the work was superb (for Kuwait)"... This template of "acceptable" work is usually based on the following five maxims:

A) It's a painting - as sculpture, photography or conceptual work (installations or performances) seems to be less well received...

B) It is of a subject matter from the (quite recent) pre-industrialized past, such as pearl-diving, rug-weaving, pottery, etc.

C) The work is large, but not too large (size matters). What is important here is not necessarily the message, technique or theme of the work, but how appropriate or how well it befits a particular space or interior...

D) It uses bright and bold colours...

E) It includes (Arabic) writing or calligraphy (or at least a suggestion of it) somewhere in the work...

Now, there is much great artwork made in Kuwait that touches upon one or more of the maxims above. The aim here is not to suggest the above elements should be excluded from consideration, but that there is space to widen the repertoire of what practising contemporary art or design related pursuits entail in the region.

A work by Sandra Bermudez (photo found on Alia Farid's 'Picasa' album)...

Henceforth we need to stop perpetuating such [quasi]patronizing avocations. We need to be critical, but do so without malice or cynicism. Pass judgement, but justify our impressions. Widen our realm(s) of what the practice of art embodies in the region, but do so without slipping into (bad) pastiche, and apply forethought and wit in our appraisals (as writing about these things is a challenge in its own right)...

Foreground, work by Jesse Small; background, portraits by Cecilia Jurado (photo found on Alia Farid's 'Picasa' album)...

What makes this exhibition so interesting is that, whilst ticking all the boxes of an established 'ism' (as Pop-Art it uses references from popular culture - 'tick'; most the work includes an inherent humorous component - 'tick'; it almost transcends into the realm of design by being easy on the eye and non-threatening - 'tick'...) it still manages to reflect, and provoke questions regarding, the role and distinction between popular and 'high' art in the region. By exhibiting work by, what seems according to the catalogue to be predominantly New York based artists, it nevertheless, perhaps partly due to the rich and varied background of these artists, manages to touch upon issues that seem relevant to us here in Kuwait. Perhaps it is this notion of 'multi-culturalism', which applies to New York in a completely different fashion than in relates to Kuwait (New York being a 'blending-pot' of cultures, whereas in Kuwait the segregation between nationalities/ cultures is somewhat more apparent and enforced), that still applies as a connective tissue between various social and cultural stratum? As a matter of fact the work does deal with a number of 'difficult' (particularly to the Gulf related) issues, but these are introduced through a somewhat benign shroud of innocence which manages to obscure the more polemic suggestions the art poses below its 'prettiness' and humour.

Left, work by Philip Simmons; right, work by Chad Curtis (photo found on Alia Farid's 'Picasa' album)...

By this exhibition (along with some of the other more recent cultured events of late) the standards have been set for future cultural endeavours in Kuwait. Why not begin considering Kuwait as a harbinger and catalyst of worthwhile activities rather than being dependent on those created elsewhere? Lets begin taking pride in ideas and products produced locally. Develop a dynamic discourse around the various intertwined disciplines that relate to our needs, interests and doings. Let's make Kuwait a place where people come to learn, rather than the other way around.