Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on June 2012

Is there such a thing as Arab art? It’s a problematic notion that the always-ambitious Mori Museum has a go at in Japan’s first-ever panoramic exhibition of art from the sprawling and diverse region. “Arab Express” presents artists from Egypt to Iraq in media ranging from painting to sculpture, photography and the inevitable installations. The aim of the show is to dispel stereotypes propagated by “the European and American media…and instead…to convey the realities of the lives of the common people through art.”

Mori Art Museum, until Oct 28 (listing).