MAHREM : FOOTNOTES ON VEILING

Exploring the concepts such as hidden and revealed, visible and invisible, public and private around the on-going contemporary discussions on the veil, the show tries to unfold several differing viewpoints related to Islamic covering and its public perceptions through the works of nine artists: "The Islamic veiling today crystallizes a myriad of new tensions between religion and secularism; piety and politics; feminism and Islamism. But foremost, it points to the centrality of the questions of women's body and sexuality in organizing public life. It is a reminder of a personal, embodied practice, but it is also a symbol communicated to others in public realm. The meaning that women subjectively assign to Islamic covering and its public perceptions might not be the same and can differ. It is these interstices and (mis)communication between personal and the public calls for social scientific comprehension and visual representation."

"MAHREM - Footnotes on Veiling" is conceived as the visual component for the first edition of "Non-Western Modernities", an annual series of workshops and panel discussions, conceptualized and developed by Nilüfer Göle, one of the most prominent sociologists of Turkey. The project was organized at SantralIstanbul in October 2007, and the exhibition opened concurrently with a two days workshop program where social scientists and academicians including Eric Macé, Meddeb Abdelwahab, Almut Sh. Bruckstein, Abdulrahim Al Shaikh, Kenan Cayir, Hidayet Sefkatli were invited to discuss and make presentations on various issues related to Islamic practices of veiling. The content of the workshops will be published in the format of a book in the coming months.

A selection of the works will be presented at Tanas between the dates 15 June - 10 August, 2008. Following the opening there will be a panel discussion and a conference by Nilüfer Göle and a slightly different version of the show will be opened in Rotterdam at the old post-office building on 25 June 2008.