Art at Work: People, Power and Cultural Production in the Middle East

Cultural production across the Middle East continues to adapt to severe geopolitical pressures, according to the latest summer edition of the Middle East Report. Published by the Middle East Research and Information Project, Issue 319 titled “Art at Work—People, Power and Cultural Production” examines how artists navigate war, state control, and market capital in countries including Palestine, Lebanon, Iran, and Syria.

Visualizing Conflict in Palestine and Lebanon

The publication opens with rare visual essays documenting art created during military conflict and occupation. According to the Middle East Report, artist Jana Traboulsi reflects on witnessing war through social media screens, featuring work by Mazen Kerbaj and Bahij Jaroudi.

In a separate visual walk-through, curator Rana Anani examines Mahmoud Alhaj’s 2024 exhibition titled “Control Anatomy.” The collection spans decades of artistic work produced under surveillance, war, and occupation in Gaza.

Culture and Protest in Iran

Two contributions focus on the historical and political dynamics of culture in Iran. An interview by Parham Ghalamdar with Hamidreza Pejman explores how arts institutions manage ongoing military pressures from the United States and Israel.

Concurrently, researcher Nafiseh Sharifi outlines a 30-year history of protest music in Iran. The review traces sonic resistance from the reformist student anthems of the 1990s to viral songs emerging from the Woman, Life, Freedom movement and the Dey protests.

State Capital and Neoliberal Markets in the Gulf

Massive state-sponsored projects in the United Arab Emirates and Qatar have driven the creation of major museums and international festivals over recent decades. Contributors Abdullah al-Mutairi and Shir Alon analyze how state priorities and neoliberal economic logics influence art exhibition practices across the Gulf region.

Addressing a different segment of digital creativity, researcher Nermin Elsherif exposes the mechanics of the Arab artificial intelligence slop industry. The report details the precarious labor conditions and visual aesthetics defining low-tier creative work that populates modern social media feeds.

Alternative Music and Post-Assad Theater

In Amman, researcher Arran Walshe investigates the fluctuating fortunes of Jordan’s heavy metal, alternative, and dance music scenes. Interviews with local artists detail how state regulation and international aid impact independent creative projects.

Following the fall of Bashar al-Assad in late 2024, cultural production in Syria’s liminal zones faces new governance under Ahmad al-Sharaa. Within this context, an interview with playwright Lekaa Sharaf regarding her 2025 production “Ancestral Rage” highlights the persistent role of theater in the Golan Heights amid intensifying Israeli occupation. Furthermore, editorial assistant Heidi Affi catalogs the diverse musical traditions of the Jazira region between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers with embedded media selections.