Out of the East Into the West is now live!
The Mixed Museum is thrilled to announce the launch of Out of the East Into the West, our latest special exhibition exploring mixed Arab British histories in the early twentieth century. The exhibition is curated in collaboration with artist, writer and art historian Salma Ahmad Caller.
About the exhibition
Funded by Arts Council England, Out of the East Into the West is connected to The Imaginarium Postcard Project which Salma set up in 2018. Initially conceived to investigate the archive of colonial 19th century images of women on postcards from the Middle East and North Africa alongside Salma’s mixed Egyptian and British identity, the project has now grown into ‘a collective of artists and researchers working together to decolonise the colonial lens’.
Exoticism and ordinariness
Presented mainly as a series of visual essays, Out of the East Into the West contrasts the exoticism and fantasy found in the colonial postcards, media accounts and literary representations with archival accounts of ‘ordinary’ mixed Arab British families held in The Mixed Museum’s collections, as well as Salma’s own English Egyptian story.
Artworks and family histories
The exhibition also features artworks created by the Imaginarium Project, as well as a selection of potted histories and family photos from members of the public who responded to our Open Call. We hope that the exhibition will be the start of further explorations and discussions of this history.
Visit the Out of the East Into the West and don't forget to let us know what you think!
