"Curating a Revolution": Egyptian Artists Cry Out for Mubarak's Resignation - With Egypt bursting into full revolutionary upheaval over the last week, and the 30 year dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak tottering under the pressure of mass protests, the raging velocity of current events has given artists little time to react. Yet culture has been pushed into the spotlight, with Egyptian antiquities chief Zahi Hawass putting out a statement condemning the looting at the nation's museums. Concern that the nation's art be protected from the masses has become a major preoccupation of media reports, with even Metropolitan Museum of Art director Thomas Campbell voicing worries about the effect an uprising might have on the nation's patrimony. Meanwhile, former Egyptian Museum head Wafaa El-Saddik threw the blame back on Hawass's culture authority itself, suggesting that the museum's own underpaid guards may have looted the museum.
Meanwhile, the few contemporary artists who have managed to have their voices heard are squarely in the anti-Mubarak camp. Despite the Internet blackout in Egypt, "Iran Inside Out" curator Sam Bardaouil has managed to contact a few artists in Egypt, and has been spotlighting their voices on his Facebook page. Earlier today, for instance, Bardaouil posted a message from artist Amal Kenawy — whose work has been seen at the Dak'art and Sharjah Biennales — after speaking with her in Cairo. "No more intimidation! Our fear is gone," reads Kenawy's message. "On the streets no one is thinking 'I am a Christian or Muslim, Brotherhood or Baradei! We are all one. I am honored to be part of this and for my son to witness a new era and have a better future. Mubarak is gone! We will march tomorrow!"
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