MERIP updates

NEW: ‘Closed Until Further Notice’ – Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime

Dear Friends and Comrades, The US and Israeli war has altered daily life in Iran. Between airstrikes that have destroyed basic infrastructure across the country and a regime bent on repressing political expression, the institutions that sustain cultural life have had to navigate some perilous straits. Today we are sharing

James Ryan, Hamidreza Pejman, Parham Ghalamdar • 7 min read

Art

'Closed Until Further Notice'—Keeping a Tehran Art Institution Alive During Wartime

Artist Parham Ghalamdar interviews Hamidreza Pejman on the shifting role of cultural institutions during crisis.

Hamidreza Pejman, Parham Ghalamdar • 13 min read

MER Article

A Note on the Cover Image

While MER issue 313 grapples with the question of resistance to Israeli-US domination in light of a weakened regional axis, its cover centers the intimate, everyday textures of life that continue to animate the struggle for liberation. Samar Hussaini’s “Inherited Memories” works through media of acrylic, ink, graphite,

(Author not identified) • 2 min read

MER Article

A Note on the Cover Image

The cover art for MER issue 312, “Carceral Realities and Freedom Dreams,” is titled “Suspended Souls,” by Egyptian artist Yassin Mohamed. It depicts a scene from the third and fourth floors of Ward B in Egypt’s maximum security Tora prison in 2017, where the artist was imprisoned. Serving two

(Author not identified) • 2 min read

MER Article

A Note on the Cover Image

The cover image for MER issue 311, "Post-Fossil Politics," is an inkjet on canvas print entitled “After Oil (Das Island/Das Crude).” The image is part of the “After Oil” series, first exhibited in 2016, by DESIGN EARTH: a research project founded by architects Rania Ghosn and

(Author not identified) • 2 min read

MER Article

A Note on the Cover Image

The cover image for MER issue 310 features an ink on paper drawing from Galal Yousif’s “Forgotten Crisis Series 2024.” Galal Yousif is a Sudanese artist who lived and worked in Khartoum until June 2023 when, like many others, he was forced to flee. As of the date of

(Author not identified) • 2 min read

Current Analysis

'Undesirables' and the Mediterranean Graphic Novel

Aomar Boum on tracing the holocaust to North Africa through his new graphic novel with Nadjib Berber.

Aomar Boum, Elizabeth Perego • 12 min read

MER Article

Culture and Politics, Culture as Politics

Although MERIP is best known for political economy critiques of systems of resource extraction, imperialism and authoritarianism, artwork, creative texts and cultural reviews have never been merely supplemental to its project. Elevating cultural expression and aesthetic performance from the Middle East and North Africa can be an act of political

Ted Swedenburg, Paul Silverstein • 7 min read

Current Analysis

Church, Mosque, Museum? Reflections on Monuments in Turkey and Spain

On July 24, 2020 the Turkish government opened Hagia Sophia in Istanbul to prayer for the first time in 86 years, reverting the building’s status from museum back to mosque. Blessing and Yaycıoğlu explain the politics behind this decision and explore the ramifications for Hagia Sophia and other monu

Patricia Blessing, Ali Yaycıoğlu • 15 min read

Current Analysis

A Tribute to the Palestinian Artist Kamal Boullata

We mourn the passing of the great Palestinian artist, Kamal Boullata, who died on August 6, 2019. Kamal was a dear friend and colleague, and closely associated with MERIP from its earliest days. We offer the following tribute.

The Editors • 11 min read

Current Analysis

Seeing Past the Rain of Light

On November 11, 2017, the Louvre Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates opened its doors to the public, nearly ten and a half years after the initial announcement of the project. Social media was awash with pictures of visitors in the rays of sun filtering into the main atrium,

Elizabeth Derderian • 3 min read

Current Analysis

The Walled-Off Hotel Controversy

The British street artist known as Banksy is no stranger to controversy. His public art about capitalism, misogyny and racism always produces conversation. His newest installation in occupied Bethlehem, the Walled Off Hotel, is generating significant public debate about Palestine-Israel. According to different media reports, Banksy aims to focus

Jamil Khader • 14 min read