Jam’iyyat al-Fann (the Arab artists’ group) : a critical cartography of the art scene in Jordan through the archive (1970 – 1980)

Abstract

This thesis, which consists of a research paper and an exhibition, provides a historical survey and critical cartography of the emergence of art institutions in Jordan. Thematically, the study revolves around The Jordanian Plastic Artists Association (previously known as Jam’iyyat al-Fann, or The Arab Artists’ Group). During the 1970s, the association, which has since faded into obscurity, attempted to establish a mass artist organization in Jordan. Its members played a central role in formulating a progressive cultural program and politics for the arts and culture. This thesis argues that the association, its agenda, and its politics were crucially shaped by regional conflict and war, as well as and, most important, by their commitment to the Palestinian struggle. The influx of Palestinian artists into Jordan, in addition to the solidarity of many artists in the Middle East with the Palestinian cause, had both a direct and an indirect impact on the activities of the association, and later on the establishment of the art scene in Jordan. Ultimately, the attempts of the association’s members to institute a mass artist organization in Jordan failed. I argue that this “failure” was in many respects politically determined, as the association’s program became suspicious from both political and national standpoints. Methodologically, this research paper and the accompanying eponymous exhibition (which opened in Amman, Jordan, on January 25, 2020) provide an art historical account of the emerging art scene in Amman. This thesis focuses on the role of the association and its impact on or relation to the art scene through the notion of the “archive.”