Beyond the veil: Bold art by Persian-Arab women

Super heroes, mythical female figures in the desert: the Suspended Territories exhibition at the Marta Herford museum shows contemporary women's art from the Arab World, Iran and North Africa

  • Breaking with tradition: this also means challenging perceptions. Feminist issues are less the focus of the exhibition than a questioning of the relationship between body and space. The works especially deal with the exploitation of history and identity in a globalised world
  • Arwa Arboun and family history: Libya-based multimedia artist Arwa Arboun breaks with traditional image motifs and chooses a very personal approach. For the diptych "I'm sorry/I forgive you," she portrays her parents in two photographs that reverse the power relations between the sexes
  • Breaking with tradition: this also means challenging perceptions. Feminist issues are less the focus of the exhibition than a questioning of the relationship between body and space. The works especially deal with the exploitation of history and identity in a globalised world
  • Sama Alshaibi′s stories from the desert: "Silsala" (connection) is a photography project by Sama Alshaibi inspired by the expeditions of the 14th century Moroccan scholar, Ibn Battuta. The U.S.-based Iraqi-Palestinian artist took the images while travelling to various desert regions and oases in the Middle East and North Africa over seven years. "The desert is an interesting metaphor for modern society," she says
  • Saba Innab and how to build without a land: with aesthetic-poetic installations and drawings, the Jordanian artist and architect Saba Innab reflects on the complex political situation facing the stateless Palestinians. On a wall dividing the exhibition space, a delicate drawing portrays the on-going boundary between the unrecognised Palestinian state and Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Egypt
  • Moufida Fedhila and the transformative power of art: for her short film, "Hors-je", the Tunisian artist worked with children in Ettadhamen City in the capital, Tunis. "This is a neighbourhood from which many jihadists go to fight in Syria having become radicalised or turning to crime," said Fedhila. "I try to offer an alternative viewpoint. It's about participation, the core of democracy. I believe in the transformative power of art"
  • Mounira al Solh′s expressions of irony and ambiguity: the versatile work of Lebanese artist Mounira Al Solh can currently be seen at the Documenta in Kassel and in Athens; in 2015 it was displayed at the Venice Biennale. The artist, who lives in Holland, makes videos and video installations, drawings and paintings, embroidery and performances