Crossing the Line: Drawing in the Middle East exhibition

Conceived and curated by Barberis, the Crossing the Line: Drawing in the Middle East Exhibition extends the research that Barberis initiated in the pre/post 9/11 project Intersections: Reading the Space: Christianity, Judaism, Islam, a visual dialogue between 3 female artists from differing continents and religious backgrounds, negotiating the sensitive territory of belief, exhibited at both the Australian Jewish Museum and the Jewish Museum of San Francisco. The current exhibition reflects this dialogue, however extends the possibilities for artists from both east and west to work across pivotal issues at the visible point of the 'Arab spring'. The significance of this project was realized in its timing and presence as a 'marker for reflection', in the gathering of visual response and articulation of ten Emirati artists and seven Australian and British artist's ideas during this particular period of time of exhibition in Dubai. There was a significant dialogue through the works from both from the Middle East and the West, providing new knowledge. The international organization, Tashkeel Dubai, which is initiated and funded through the Emirates Royal Patronage, selected this exhibition as part of its international program. There was a formal dialogue between the artists present at the exhibition in Tashkeel, and also at the American University in Dubai. This exhibition was the core exhibition for the International Conference, Crossing the Line, Drawing in the Middle East at The American University in Dubai, where Barberis was the International Chair and one of the keynote speakers, along with University of the Arts Roostein Hopkins Chair of Drawing, Professor Stephen Farthing. This exhibition was funded by the Tashkeel organization, American University in Dubai (in kind), Metasenta®, RMIT University JRE Australian Government Funding.