Pan-Arabism's Legacies in Contemporary Art: From Samah Hijawi to Iman Issa

Andrew Stefan Weiner's essay in Afterall issue 40 examines how contemporary artists engage with the complex history of pan-Arabism, moving beyond nostalgia or simplistic revival. Samah Hijawi's 2009 performance 'Where are the Arabs?' in Jordan and occupied Palestine reanimated Gamal Abdel Nasser's speeches in public spaces, questioning the contemporary relevance of pan-Arabism. Marwa Arsanios's project on the Egyptian magazine Al-Hilal critiques its contradictions, while Iman Issa's 'Material' series (2010–12) decomposes monuments into abstract assemblages. Basel Abbas and Ruanne Abou-Rahme's 'The Incidental Insurgents' (2012–present) explores fringe radicalism in France, Mexico, and Palestine. Céline Condorelli's 2012 installation 'White Gold' addresses the decline of Egyptian cotton under IMF and WTO policies. Weiner argues these works resist instrumentalization and instead embrace heteronomy, refusing to simplify their relation to the past. The essay situates these practices within the post-pan-Arab public sphere, the Arab Spring, and the politics of archival research.