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Culture Alert: Art speaks to power in February

February exhibitions in the Middle East offer satirical and fantastic looks at politics and society, clearly demonstrating that the fighting spirit in the arts is far from being defeated by the powers that be.
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Censorship creates new languages in the arts as artists strive to circumvent it and raise their voices against authority. They often do so imaginatively with humor, irony and historical reference. Al-Monitor’s Culture Alert for February features several exhibitions across the Middle East in which artists look at politics through their self-colored lenses.

A satirical regard: Pierre Sadek (1938-2013) was not only one of Lebanon’s leading political satirists, he was also one of the most prolific cartoonists in the Middle East. He produced more than 30,000 cartoons offering witty insight into the politics of Lebanon and the region. A collection of his works will be on display for almost three months at Beirut’s Sursock Museum.

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