Also on the occasion of the exhibition’s official opening to the public, as of October 22 several guided tours will be given by the exhibition’s curators: Javier Rosón and Marcos de la Fuente. 

Spain and the Arab world have an extraordinary shared history that goes back centuries. The experience of Al-Andalus represents a positive, fruitful past whose cultural and social alchemy gave rise to one of the richest moments in world history in terms of scientific, philosophical, artistic and humanistic contributions. History’s comings and goings have forged a wide range of realities and developments, and they remain present in the historical memory of our societies, both Spanish and Arab. The contemporary era saw the birth of nation-states, through complex political processes; bilateral diplomacy gradually built relations and, for a century now, Spanish-Arab politics, economics and cooperation have grown stronger, taking on the scope which our longstanding relationship deserves.

Here from our “watchtower,” we have attempted to approach the diverse, multifaceted world of art from this “otherness” and its culture, whether Arab or Muslim, based on the idea that, more than facts or contemporary events, the artist’s vision was and is the most appropriate way to build bridges of understanding, a path towards the mutual comprehension and empathy sought by all.

This desire to bring people together and create a meeting place has undoubtedly been reflected in the contemporary languages of art (photography, video, installations, performance art, etc.) and in the artists themselves, the protagonists of these exhibitions.

Cordoba, whose traditions, atmosphere and geography have witnessed and been the setting for these relations with the Arab world for centuries, proves to be a perfect site for cooperation with institutions, creators and professionals from cultural industries. This collaboration has become a dynamic and essential tool for cultural diplomacy and dialogue, which has also taken form in the 49 exhibitions and over 200 artists who have put the exhibitions on... Thus we have established this meeting point from which to dialogue, interact and build cooperation between Spain and the Arab world, and that is what this exhibition aims to highlight, once again bringing the public closer to diverse realities intimately linked with our own essence.

The exhibition, curated by Javier Rosón and Marcos de la Fuente, has been organized on the basis of five “regional” categories (Al-Andalus, Spain and the Arab world, Maghreb, Mashreq and miscellaneous), and all of the countries with which we have performed exhibition work are represented, namely Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syria and Yemen. To do so, works by more than 60 artists have been selected, and we thank them for their interest and for loaning their works: 

Abir Guesmi, Abdurlahman Alnazeer Ali, Abuzaydun Hanoos, Ahmed el Shaer, Ahmed Khesta, AlAnood Mubarak, Alfredo Cáliz, Ali Talib, Alla Budabbus, Amado Alfadni, Amy Sow, Ana Crespo, Assem Al Bacha, Berta Vicente, Carole Alfarah, Chant Avedissian, Clara Carvajal, Combo, Dar Al Naim, Dhafer Ben Khalifa, El- 30U, El-Moustach, Ghita Benlamlih, Ilyes Messaoudi, Issam Smiri, Jalid al-Saai, Javier Abella, Javier Hirschfeld, Joe Namy, Kamal Rigah, L’Homme Jaune, Ladis, Leila Alaoui, López, Malak Elghuel, Manuel Gutiérrez Guerrero, Manuel Lama, Mehri Khalil, Miguel Ambrosio Zaragoza (Ambrós), Mohamad Arabi, Mohamed Al Kharrubi, Moisés Yagües, Muhammad Ismail, Nicène Kossentini, Osama Esid, Pablo Rojas, Father Savignac, Pío Cabanillas, Qarm Qart, Rachid Koraïchi, Rafael Yzquierdo, Rasha Amin, Rayan Nasir, Ricardo, Roger Grasas, Sarah Basma Harnafi, Skanderous, Tariq Dajani, Tejeda, Thana Faroq, Vicente Castelló, Víctor Mora Pujadas and Yasmine Hatimi.

We are especially grateful for the support and cooperation of the Cordoba Municipal Archive, Jorge Fernández Vidal, José Miguel Puerta Vílchez, the Archeological and Ethnological Museum of Cordoba (Department of Culture and Historical Heritage), the Leila Alaoui Foundation, the Arab Image Foundation, Najlaa El-Ageli, Sabrina Amrani and each and every one of the artists and curators who have made our work possible over the years. We would also like to thank Antonio Agüera Gómez (Loyola University) and Elena Calvo (University of Córdoba), who have supported this initiative and worked on it during their internships at the Casa.