Breaking the Veils
Women Artists from the Islamic World

This traveling exhibition is organized by the Royal Society of Fine Arts in Jordan and the Pan-Mediterranean Women Artists Network F.A.M (Femme-Art-Méditerranée) based in Greece. It shows artworks by more than 50 women from 22 Islamic countries.

The term "Islamic" refers to the civilization and is used in its cultural sense, not its religious one; neither are all of the artists Muslim, nor do the works represent any religious aspects. The purpose of the exhibition is to break the stereotyping of women in Islam and show the output of gifted women artists: Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, and Hindu, who live within Islamic civilization and contribute to humanity's cultural heritage. It carries a message of peace, enlightenment, and compassion. All of the artworks come from the permanent collection of the Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts in Amman.

H.M. Queen Rania Al-Abdullah of Jordan opened the exhibition on 19 September 2002 at Porte d’Amboise in Rhodes. Further venues: Benaki Museum, Athens, January - February 2003; UNESCO Headquarters, Paris, March 2003; Fine Arts Museum, Valencia June 2003; Foundation of Three Cultures "Expo", Seville, November 2003. For 2004, other presentations in Spain and Italy are planned.

Participating artists

Algeria: Baya, Houria Niati

Bahrain: Balqees Fakhro

Bangladesh: Tina Ahmad, Kanek Chakma

Egypt: Mariam Abdul Aleem, Rabab Nimer, Naima Shishini

Indonesia: Umi Dachlan, Heyi Ma'maun

Iran: Simin Meykadeh, Haideh Sharifi

Iraq: Suad Attar, Lisa Fattah, Leila Kawash, Hana Malallah

Jordan: Nawal Abdallah, Karima Ben Othman, Hind Nasser, Suha Shoman, Rula Shukairy, Dodi Tabbaa, Wijdan, Samia Zaru, Fahrelnissa Zeid

Kuwait: Thuraya Baqsami

Lebanon: Etel Adnan, Juliana Seraphime

Malaysia: Nirmala Shanmughalingam, Sharifa Fatimah Zubir

Morocco: Sohad Lachiri, Najia Mehadji

Oman: Rabha Mahmoud

Pakistan: Mher Afroze, Naz Ikramulla, Nahid Reza

Palestine: Samira Badran, Rana Bishara, Samia Halaby, Jumana Husseini, Mounira Nusseibeh, Laila Shawa

Saudi Arabia: Fahda Bint Saud

Sudan: Kamala Ibrahim

Syria: Laila Muraywid

Tunisia: Meriam Bouderbala, Rim Karoui

Turkey: Tomur Atagok, Su Yucel

United Arab Emirates: Maysoon Qasimi

Yemen: Amna Nusairy

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