“Women Artists of the Arab Diaspora (Detroit)”
Detroit Historical Museum
5401 Woodward Ave.
Detroit
Through Sept. 13, 2026
Most of us are lucky to have never been forced from our homes due to war, to have never lost pieces of ourselves when forced to adapt to another culture. But a temporary exhibit at the Detroit Historical Museum is bringing those experiences to light with “Women Artists of the Arab Diaspora (Detroit).” Created with The Amplification Project, the exhibit focuses specifically on the experiences of female artists of the Arab diaspora connected to Detroit.
The exhibit features a mix of paintings, photography, poetry, comics, videos, installations, and decorative arts. It is — unsurprisingly — mostly sad, with themes of lost identity and culture, though not without glimpses of strength and hope.
One of the exhibit’s most powerful works is “The City I Cannot Touch But Will Never Let Go,” by Palestinian visual artist Jenin Yaseen, who goes by “sr7aneh.” The bright painting features a crying woman clinging tightly to her homeland. Inside her arms — adorned in the colorful patterns of her native dress — is a vibrant city on the shore of a river. The sky and water are a brilliant blue, contrasted with the bright yellow of the city and the sun that still shines upon it. Destruction lies outside her arms. A giant wave threatens the peaceful waters, everywhere else is burning, dotted with a tank, military planes, and explosives. A lone dove flies below the sun offering a glimpse of hope in an otherwise heart-wrenching work.
Therese Basha Jarjoura’s “Resilience” nearby also features a dominant female face, but one of defiance. This woman — also colorful, painted with thick brush strokes — looks directly at the viewer, daring them to cross her. Next to her are five smaller faces in black silhouette profile with hair created from orange and yellow painted footprints. It’s a testament to the strength of the female spirit, another glimpse of hope among dire circumstances.
Perhaps the saddest of the works is Biba Sheikh’s “Bury Your Love Around Us,” a memorial to the children who lost their lives during the war in Gaza. It features a collection of children’s shoes surrounding a white square and prints with images that depict the daily life of those who are gone. It’s a heartbreaking reminder of the innocence lost during war.
On a less dire note were decorative objects and installations representing Middle Eastern traditions, although still in a context of a culture that is being lost. Razaan Killawi’s “Delicate Remains” is a corner of objects reflecting a yearning for that culture and the beauty found in preservation. It features a prayer rug as well as translucent prints of family photos in organza. Next to it — if you look closely — you’ll see more family photos, now pickled in a jar with radishes as “Pickled Memories,” a nod to her family’s culture but also a detail that added some welcome levity to the otherwise heavy atmosphere.
War is destruction — destruction of life, destruction of land, destruction of culture. “Women Artists of the Arab Diaspora (Detroit)” reminds us of the ramifications that last long after the war is over.
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