MEI Art Gallery presents Converging Lines: Tracing the Artistic Lineage of Arab Diaspora in the U.S.

Converging Lines explores some of the aesthetic threads that connect the community of Arab diaspora artists whose contributions to American art have gone largely unrecognized. The artworks are linked by shared thematics like exile, memory formation, changing identities, and the state of in-betweenness that often accompanies migration.\ \ Seventeen diverse artists spanning multiple generations are represented in the show. Anchored by an illustration from Kahlil Gibran, a leading member of the early 20th century Arab-American arts community, Converging Lines: Tracing the Artistic Lineage of the Arab Diaspora in the U.S. explores some of the aesthetic threads that connect a community of shape-shifting artists whose contributions to American art have gone largely unrecognized. \ \ Curated by Maymanah Farhat, the exhibit pairs pioneering artists like Etel Adnan, whose upcoming Guggenheim survey reflects her critical renown, with a younger generation of mid-career and emerging artists. Their work and practices are linked by shared thematics like displacement, exile, memory formation, changing identities, and the state of in-betweenness that often accompanies migration. Many of the exhibition’s works allude to the complexities of the Arab diasporic experience, including experiences of invisibility, alienation, and intergenerational trauma. From mystical, symbolist drawings to disorientating mixed-media objects, the featured works range from reflections of longing and introspection to calls for new ways of seeing and cultural rebellion.\ \ “Artists identifying with the Arab diaspora in the U.S. are rarely recognized as forming a vibrant artistic community that has long been contributing to American art. This exhibition seeks to offer a template for new scholarship and to encourage support for the crucial work of these artists. At the same time, Converging Lines is curated with a broader audience in mind with the hope that curators and scholars will begin to look at thi