"The Body Uncovered" is an exhibition that will run until 15 July at the Arab World Institute in Paris. The exhibition is tackling the stereotypical portrayal of Arab society in Western art, presenting the works of more than 200 Arab artists from the nineteenth century up until today.
Homosexuality, forbidden in Arab countries, is represented in Lebanese-American George Awde’s photographs of young men in Beirut, shirtless, embracing and in the short film “Comradeship” by Egyptian artist Mahmoud Khaled. The video includes the text — in both Arabic and English: “I have taken courage to challenge myself and you have taken time to allow this to affect you. The pay off is well worth it."
While most of these artists were born in Arab countries, they now live and work mainly in Europe and the United States. It’s unlikely the exhibition would ever travel to Arab countries, and improbable that such art would be openly produced in Islamic states. To date, there has been no critical backlash.
