Current Exhibition
ARAB POP ART
Between East and West
September 12, 2025 - January 23, 2026
Co-curated by Laila Abdul-Hadi Jadallah & Lyne Sneige
Arab Pop Art: Between East and West explores the evolution of an art movement that blends Arab cultural motifs and symbols with the visual language of Western Pop art. Emerging in the 1960s, Arab pop art exploded with the rise of social media and new digital technologies in the 2000s. Today, Arab pop artists harness creativity, satire and a savvy awareness of street culture to comment on social and political issues in the Middle East, while also challenging regional stereotypes.
Featuring 14 artists from the Arab world and its diaspora, the exhibition explores the emergence of Arab Pop art as a bold fusion of cultural identity and global visual language that highlights a vibrant, evolving and cosmopolitan Arab identity. The 35 works on display blend everyday symbols, regional motifs and cultural commentary with striking imagery reminiscent of Western pop art icons like Andy Warhol and Roy Lichtenstein. The result is a show that challenges norms and informs new perspectives on art, identity, and culture in the Middle East.
The MEI Art Gallery is open Monday through Friday, 10 am - 5 pm. Select artworks will be available for sale.
Participating artists: Yusef Alahmad (Saudi Arabia/US), Chant Avedissian (Egypt), Marwan Chamaa (Lebanon/US), Yasmine Nasser Diaz (Yemen/US), Rasha Eleyan (Palestine/UK), Hassan Hajjaj (Morocco), Tony Khawam (Syria/US), Mous Lamrabat (Morocco), Ilyes Messaoudi (Tunisia), Qarm Qart (Egypt/Italy), Rana Salam (Lebanon), Water With Water (Nathan Ross Davis & Sarah Elawad, Qatar), Helen Zughaib (Lebanon/US).
Lead sponsorship by the Open Mind Project, additional support provided by the Embassy of the Kingdom of Morocco in Washington, D.C.
Visit the MEI Art Gallery
The MEI Art Gallery is open to the public weekdays from 10am to 5pm (closed for federal holidays). Visitors are encouraged to register for a timed visit at the link below, but walk-ins are also welcome.
No events are currently scheduled for this program. Subscribe to our mailing list to receive notification of events as they are added to the calendar.
Creators' Corner with Jude Chehab
Exhibition Opening | A River Flows Downstream
Artist Talk | A Conversation with Emirati Photographer Noura Al Neyadi
Yalla Laugh & Dance Extravaganza II
Art Talk and Tour of Perceptible Rhythms, Alternative Temporalities
Exploring the Middle East’s Climate Crisis through the Lens of Policy and Art
Tribe Photo Magazine
Tribe is a non-profit publication focused on documenting photography, video and new media from the Arab world. As a global platform, its core mission is to create an archive and stimulate dialogue about the artists--emerging and established--who are defining their practice.
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Support this unique platform for the exhibition of contemporary art from the Middle East.
International Arts Advisory Committee
Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi
Hatem Alzahrani
Saleh Barakat
Touria El Glaoui
Leila Heller
Rose Issa
Adila Laïdi-Hanieh
Salwa Mikdadi
Venetia Porter
