Fassih Keiso

The Body in Twilight: Representation of the Human Body, Sexuality Andstruggle in Contemporary Arab Art Fassih Keiso

This book analyses the work of six Arab artists wholive and work outside the Arab region, who usevarious media to express, reflect and represent thehuman body. It offers a guide to developments incontemporary Arab art, relying on specific theories, and to link the findings to various movements in Arab culture and society in relation to international art. The book studies the impact of Arabic classicalerotic literature on Arab art and artists, andfocuses on the exploitation of Arab and Islamicculture for the benefit of Western ideologies. Itpresents a critical and historical analysis of theissue of the veil, demonstrating its importance andplace within Islamic societies. It focuses oncolonial theories in developing the issues ofinferiority and stereotypes. The book examines theterm Orientalism and the impact of the media instereotyping and marginalizing Arabs and Islam. Thebook investigates the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, and looks into the issue of war and dispersion thathas affected Arabs physically and spiritually. Itdeals with the way Arab visual artists reflect thestruggle and confrontation, and the resistance of the human body to war and death.