By Simon Albaugh \u2013 Yemeni American News<\/p>\n
Dearborn, Mich. \u2013 An installation from Yemeni-Bosnian Artist Alia Ali will be coming to the Arab American National Museum, and on Mar. 19, made available for viewing to the public.<\/p>\n
Alia Ali is a multi-disciplinary artist whose photography has been featured in fine arts publications around the world. Ali\u2019s work has been shown in galleries and major art institutions in Europe, the United States and the Middle East and North Africa.<\/p>\n
A press release from the Arab American National Museum offers little details on what the sculpture will look like, instead telling readers the sculpture will be an extension of Ali\u2019s previous themes and aesthetic goals.<\/p>\n
\u201cAlthough details of the sculpture \u2013 entitled al-Falaq \u2013 are being kept under wraps, the piece is set to blast off at the end of March,\u201d the press release reads. \u201cIt is understood that the artwork is in line with the artist\u2019s futurism vision and manifesto focusing on carving out radical, newly imagined futures for her native Yemen.\u201d<\/p>\n
A statement provided by the artist also provides little details, instead calling for an understanding that the sculpture will provide a political statement against many established institutions, including the relationship between the art world and the military industrial complex.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a time when sculptures and what they represent have finally been seen as a political statement with significant meanings, I\u2019m honored to have been commissioned by the Arab American National Museum \u2013 for the space and trust and the support to produce something bold, brave, beautiful and highly critical of relationships between museums, private collections, and the military industrial complex,\u201d Ali said.<\/p>\n
Despite little details about al-Falaq are being released, Dr. Diana Abouali, Director of the Arab American National Museum, expressed excitement over the sculpture and its themes, saying that Alia Ali is an artist who has earned the excitement.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Arab American Museum is thrilled to have commissioned Alia for this new and exciting project, especially after a long hiatus,\u201d Dr. Abouali said. \u201cWe know her work to be visionary, beautiful and provocative, so we are excited to see how audiences engage with al-Falaq and what kind of conversations it will spark.\u201d<\/p>\n
Al-Falaq is being produced by Ali and a team of Detroit and Dearborn-based artists. Ali says this decision was in order to acknowledge the economic impact of artists.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m honored to be working with an entirely Detroit-based team in a time when we, as creatives, must acknowledge the economic impact that we have to not only support the narratives they are telling, but also the communities that support their existence.<\/p>\n