Today's Edition
KHALED AL KHAWALDEH (Abu Dhabi)
Since 1963, the US Department of State's Office of Art in Embassies (AIE) has served as the nation's cultural diplomacy bridge by creating global connections through art. With origins rooted in the Museum of Modern Art's vision a decade earlier, AIE was formalised under former President John F. Kennedy and today manages over 200 venues, curating temporary and permanent exhibitions that feature contemporary art from both the United States and host countries.
These exhibitions, showcased in US embassies, consulates and ambassador residences worldwide aim to create an enduring cultural impact. This year's UAE Exhibition held at the US ambassadors' home in Abu Dhabi includes features from Arab American artist, Helen Zughaib.
"I think we can speak in a way that politicians and government cannot speak, through music and art and dancing," Zughaib told Aletihad on a recent visit to the ambassador's residence.
"We have strong messages, but we do it in a way that's hitting you over the head, so I think we have a really valuable voice."
Zughaib's work, which features the White House and Capitol buildings in Washinton painted in a colourful latticed pattern, reminiscent of cultural influences from her Syrian upbringing, is meant to stand as a representation of the rich history of migration in the country.
She hopes her works can start a conversation about the robust and sometimes overlooked ideals on which American society was born.
"When I first came to America, and I saw the monuments, I don't know if you've been to Washington, DC, but I saw them, and they were just so incredible. But they had no colour at all. They're all white," she said.
"So, I used red, white and blue palette, the colours on the flag on purpose, to bring attention to what these colours represented, the big ideas of how America was born, the ideas that convinced many people, including Baba (dad), to immigrate to America for a better life."
Zughaib's work is featured in the Ambassador's residence alongside a collection of works that embassy staff explained were meant to draw on the similarities between the desert landscape in the UAE and parts of rural USA. This included depictions of Arizona by Diana Bonaparte and desert sunsets by Ed Mell, amongst other works of landscape art.
US Ambassador Martina Strong said: "This exhibition reflects the unique vision of the artists, who used oil, watercolour and photography to capture the essence of the beauty around us. Several works highlight the contributions of Arab-American and women artists, who add their own distinctive voices
