Israelis are no strangers to making art from live naked humans. Green Prophet’s coverage of Spencer Tunick’s  photo events showing hundreds of social and ecological activists standing nude in the Dead Sea proves that “prudish” doesn’t describe the Israeli public.

But now Israelis are looking at dead Chinese people stripped of most of their flesh and preserved in liquid silicon in the “Bodies” exhibition, now open in Tel Aviv.

Some consider it art. Some consider it educational. And indeed, the exhibit has been presented at major cities worldwide. But because there’s no proof that the people whose bodies are displayed knew or consented to it before death, some consider that the exhibit violates human rights According to Jewish thought, where human remains are treated with careful respect, it is a desecration.

Protests from elements as dissimilar as politicians, the Israel Teacher’s Association, religious groups, private citizens, and the emergency-response organization Zaka began immediately after the exhibit opened its doors in May. Yitzhak Lampert a yeshiva student from Jerusalem and Yehuda Pua, a teacher, led a Facebook campaign to close the exhibit and get the bodies buried.

Lawyer David Schonberg presented a petition demanding closure of “Bodies” to Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein, who responded by recommending closure of “Bodies” to the Supreme Court.

“Taking the body, preserving it, selling and exhibiting it without the consent of the dead, as if it were an object open to anyone’s use was disrespectful to the deceased and to the autonomy of the living,” wrote Weinstein in a letter to the Supreme Court.

Many suspect that the human remains came from tortured and executed prisoners, and in particular, from members of the persecuted Falun Gong sect. Those prisoners of conscience don’t reveal their identities in order to protect their families. When they die, their bodies remain unclaimed. Chinese law allows sale of unclaimed dead for medical or other purposes.

The Bodies Exhibition was produced by Premier Exhibitions, an American company. Its New York show posted a sign saying the human remains were obtained via the Chinese police, and may originally be from Chinese prisons.

Israeli producer Shuki Gur said,

“The statement at the entrance to the exhibition states that we don’t know exactly what the source of the bodies is. I can’t say if they were donated.” He adds, “There is no need to know who they are.”

Israel’s Supreme Court  mandated that the exhibition may run no later than October 9th. The original closing date was October 21st, which makes the decision seem more like a gesture than a step to end the exhibit that fascinates and offends so many.

Knesset (Israeli Parliament) member Dr. Michael Ben Ari said,

“Unfortunately, the high court in the State of the Jewish people, disappointed us badly by making a decision that would be acceptable to everyone. Their closing date is just a few days before the exhibit’s original closing date. [The decision] should say clearly: ‘This Exhibition is an abomination. These bodies must be buried respectfully and these terrible actions of trading people, trading bodies must stop.’”

More on the Middle Eastern way of death and dying:
Can Muslims Be Buried At Sea?
Iran’s Green Zoroastrian Burials

The post Israel Closes Down Bodies Exhibition Early appeared first on Green Prophet.

In his solo exhibition Fun with Fen (fen is Arabic for “art”) currently on display at Dubai’s Meem Gallery, the Bahraini artist Mohammed Kanoo depicts international celebrities dressed in traditional Arab costume. Kanoo’s digitally enhanced photographs are described as humorous commentary on pop culture, but the reactions they provoke may be a bit darker.
[brid video=”134808″ player=”7642″ title=”Mohamed Kanoo Meem Gallery”]
Take a peek at a few images from his gallery and gauge your own response.

The portraits play with our perception, specific to social tolerance and international diplomacy. Politicians, musicians, and Hollywood movies stars are all fair game. Clint Eastwood and John Travolta sport keffiyeh: Angelina Jolie rocks her hijab. Free makeovers go to actors Hugh Laurie and Will Smith. Royal cutie Prince William trades in his crown.  Dead people can play dress-up too: see Josef Stalin and Amy Winehouse model headscarves.

But the image of Barack Obama, particularly in this election year, is a powder keg.  Hilary Clinton is included, but where is Mitt Romney?

In the past few weeks, the images have gone viral.

This particular series is entitled, “A Question of Identity (2012)”. It’s the artist’s newest poke at diplomacy, politics, and religion.

The Meem exhibition is broader than these provocative photos; it includes the Kanoo’s paintings Abayya Army and the Red Balloon, Catching Fish, and Henna Stop Sign.

Kanoo is self-taught.  Starting as a painter, his work now embraces applied media, photography and Arab calligraphy.

His recent works pay homage to artists he holds as influential: AraMao is based on Andy Warhol’s portrait of Chairman Mao; and Kanoo reinterprets Katsushika Hokusai’s iconic Great Wave off Kanagawa, replacing Mount Fuji with Dubai’s Burj Al Arab.

His earlier paintings have been in the Pop Art style of Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. One of his first works was a portrait of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the late founder of the United Arab Emirates, and a personal hero of Green Prophet’s Green Sheik.

The artist draws inspiration from his Islamic and Gulf roots. He is one of the founders of the Ghaf Art Gallery, the first art gallery in Abu Dhabi, established in 2006.

There is a tension in his work.  He interprets popular culture whilst respecting the artistic prohibitions of his faith. In the aftermath of the 9/11 terror attacks, Kanoo has focused on advancing an artistic platform that presents an alternative and positive view of contemporary Arabia.

In the case of his altered portraits, he invites us to imagine what we’d look like if we swapped each other’s clothing. The experience can make us conscious of cultural preconceptions we hadn’t really considered.  Awareness is a necessary first step towards understanding. It can start a dialogue that destroys false preconceptions.  A picture’s worth a thousand words, indeed.

It’s encouraging to see growing recognition in the West of artists from the Middle East, whether through high-brow venues in major cities or accesible street art everywhere.

In a statement though Meem, Kanoo says, “The bottom line is that tolerance is an important aspect of our faith as Arabs and Muslims. Contemporary human difficulties are common problems for all humanity.  That is what brings us together”.

If you are in Dubai, drop in to the Meem Art Gallery.  Exhibition ends July 5.  Check out the gallery’s site for more information.

And if you’re not lucky enough to be local, this short film will bring you to the party.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DqsXGDgf-XU[/youtube]

Images via Meem Art Gallery

The post Mohammed Kanoo Shows How Arab Culture Is Never Black and White appeared first on Green Prophet.