ROM to Showcase Contemporary Women Artists from the Islamic World and Beyond in Being and Belonging

Original exhibition challenges preconceptions with the work of 25 globally renowned and emerging women artists

TORONTO, March 1, 2023 – This summer, Royal Ontario Museum (ROM) will invite visitors to examine the defining issues of our time from the perspectives of 25 women artists connected to the broader Islamic world in the new original exhibition Being and Belonging. Running from July 1 to November 19, 2023, this bold exhibition presents diverse voices and experiences of artists spanning the vast territory from West Africa to Southeast Asia, as well as from the wider Islamic diaspora. Deftly interrogating contemporary issues of identity, migration, power, sexuality, and home, Being and Belonging provides deeply personal perspectives that will challenge preconceptions and disrupt stereotypes.

Curated by Dr. Fahmida Suleman, Curator of the Islamic World collections at ROM and Dr. Silvia Forni, Director of the Fowler Museum at UCLA, Being and Belonging will be the first exhibition of its breadth and depth in North America that features a range of international and intergenerational women artists. Being and Belonging will showcase over 100 magnificent artworks, from global artists including Huda Lutfi, Lalla Essaydi, Lubaina Himid, Mona Hatoum, Shahzia Sikander, Shirin Neshat, CANAN, Shamsia Hassani and Sama Alshaibi, among others.  

“It’s a unique opportunity to experience contemporary art that will stir your emotions, intellect, and aesthetic sensibilities. Each captivating work has been selected in discussion with the artist and will be presented through her words. Some of the themes are emotionally challenging, and that’s what makes them powerful,” says Dr. Fahmida Suleman, lead curator of Being and Belonging and Curator of the Islamic World collections at ROM.

Organized in three thematic sections – Space, Movement, and Power – Being and Belonging will address issues of displacement, patriarchy, 2SLGBTQIA rights, spirituality, and politics through mesmerizing and poetic works. Providing a kaleidoscope of viewpoints, these powerful artworks will reflect on universal themes through a range of media including painting, photography, graffiti art, textiles, ceramics, animation, mosaics, and video installations.

“Spanning diverse media and many nations across the Islamic world and beyond, the artworks in Being and Belonging resist easy categorization,” says Josh Basseches, ROM Director & CEO. “But they are united by their beauty, their boldness, and the belief that art can help us understand the most complex and pressing issues of our times.”

Visitors will have the opportunity to experience artworks created by international artists from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Canada, Egypt, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Pakistan, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Syria, Tanzania, Turkey, UK, USA, and Uzbekistan.

“It is exciting to have these amazing works in dialogue. The artists in the show confront important issues of our time from war, migration, gender discrimination, racism, and globalization, to spirituality from a critical and personal standpoint. It is a chorus of powerful women inviting us to reflect on the complexity of our contemporary world,” says Dr. Silvia Forni, co-curator of Being and Belonging and former Senior Curator of Global Africa at ROM.

Unique in its scope, Being and Belonging will offer a rare glimpse into the worlds and lives of 25 contemporary women artists grappling with the most critical issues of our time. A fully illustrated catalogue featuring interviews with the artists that provides deeper insights into their creative practices and works will accompany the exhibition. 

Full list of participating artists: