Orientalism Comes to America

ReOrientalism is a new collaborative performance work crafted by a trio of gifted artists whose Middle Eastern descent informs their work and their lives as contemporary Americans. Their presentation is an extended engagement through artistic discourse with the themes of Orientalism, the seminal text by the late Edward Said that explores the Westıs simultaneous romantization and fear of Islam, and the power exerted through manipulation of the historical and humanistic narrative.

Dr. Said offered an analysis of the distorted relationships of "the Occident" and "the Orient" over centuries of conquest and imperial domination. But of course, in the 21st century, the dynamic he described is no longer restricted to continents or nation-states. The massive migrations that define our era have spread the consequences of Orientalism worldwide. Now, as Karim Nagi Mohammed says, "the Near East lives next door." Current political events and their lopsided reflections in the media demonstrate on a daily basis the urgent need for an alternative to the visions offered by our leaders. ReOrientalism filters Saidıs analysis through the experience of artists who have grown up American ­ eating burgers, dancing to hip hop, and watching television ­ while simultaneously embodying the demonized other, the officially-sanctioned enemy. Their conflicts embedded within their work bring the idea of Orientalism home.

According to Dr. Said, the West has always approached the idea of "the Orient" with vision distorted by the assumption of supremacy that has allowed stereotype and xenophobia to dominate. This has resulted in the popular portrayal of the East as an exotic wonderland peopled by slightly naive sultans being entertained by belly dancers. Alternatively, it represents "the infidel," a fearsome and aggressive foe, or an oily street-fighting manipulator never to be trusted. Both extremes are given ample play by contemporary American media: everyone in the Middle East, it seems, is either Aladdin or a terrorist, and thereıs even some confusion between the two. We live in the age of September 11 and Suddam Hussein, with the Palestinian intifada a staple on the daily news ­ coming on just after reruns of I Dream of Jeanie. Most Americans of Eastern descent must battle these stereotypes on a daily basis.

This is a story of crossed, and re-crossed cultural boundaries. The creators of this work, like most Americans, have contended with complex and competing claims of displacement, assimilation, resistance, internal exile and confrontation in the shaping of their identities. "Is it choice ­ or is it compulsion?" asks Karim Nagi Mohammed. "I can be just another anonymous American, until I mention my name. Now, I am an Arab. I am obliged to lead a political life." The nuance of this experience is reflected in the performance text and music that ranges from rigidly conservative traditional forms to fusions with techno music and hip-hop poetics. The choices or obligations of a variable identity imply specific but shifting, aesthetic assumptions. "Weıre trying to create a specifically Eastern-Western voice," suggests Suheir Hammad, "that is responding to the Westıs view of the East."

This piece offers a clear demonstration that such a voice draws its strengths from multiple sources, offering a narrative that is as complex and full-blooded as any, a defiant rejection of the hubris currently offered by the politically powerful. The artists of ReOrientalism are claiming the creation of that narrative for themselves. ( James Bau Graves, 2003 )

FALL TOUR 2003 includes..
Saturday October 18th : Center for Cultural Exchange, Portland ME.
Sunday October 19th : Phillips Exeter Academy, Exeter NH.
Wednesday October 22nd : Jorge Hernandez Center , Boston MA.
Thursday October 23rd : New World Theatre, Amherst MA.
Friday October 24th : Austin Arts Center, Hartford CT.
Saturday October 25th : Alwan Center, New York NY.


For more information or booking, contact BAU GRAVES at the Center For Cultural Exchange
One Longfellow Square, Portland, Maine 04101 / telephone (207) 761.0591, or : email .