Guggenheim Exhibits Contemporary Art of the Middle East & N Africa

"But a Storm is Blowing From Paradise," is an exhibit of cotemporary works from artists in the Middle East & N Africa.  The themes war, diaspora & dystopia are emphatically expressed in sculptures, videos, installations and works on paper.  Some of the artists were from Baghdad, Tunisia, Tehran and Dubai.  The large metal & rubber sculpture suspended from the ceiling represented to me a maze, turmoil or captivity.  The Tunasian artist named the piece Flying Carpet and said it represented the  merchants who must pack up, flee & disappear quickly.  A young boy in a group who was seated underneath the work said "It feels like I'm being rained down upon."  A perceptive view with a natural, healthy connotation.  It also speaks to the many works that reflect the devasation from bombings & attacks levied down upon the cities.  A fragmented golden banister suspended on one pedestal.  Again, a young student said it represented "something off and broken."  There were a collection of photos of bombed out sites painted over with morphed monstrous figures which gave a very hideous depiction of an apocalyptic world.  There was also an installation of cast items that were once plants or bones that had a very somber & macabre aura.  The "…Storm Blowing From Paradise"  affronts the viewer with the devasation in the Middle East & N Africa which we must not disregard.  I urge the public to attend and whenever possible, eavesdrop on a curated group of students.