Off The Hookah With Phil And Cooper

Protests in Iraq and Lebanon. Censorship in Egypt and Iran. Growing conservatism in Turkey. All of these events are catalysts - both good and bad - for artists in the Middle East. In a change of pace, Phil and Cooper speak with Nazlan Ertan, Al-Monitor’s Culture Editor, to talk about how recent uprisings have provided a special opportunity for protest art, and how governments utilize art and culture to transform their image or instill national pride. How artistic freedom of expression shrinks in 'new' Egypt (Shahira Amin) Artists splash Iraqi protests with vivid imagery (Gilgamesh Nabeel) 'Eggupation' breeds revolutionary thinking in Beirut (Euan Ward)  Lebanon's revolutionary art flourishes despite culture sector strike (Nicholas Frakes) Joker jumps from screen to streets of global revolutions (Nicholas Frakes) Iran's top cultural event jeopardized by artist boycotts (Saeid Jafari) The Istanbul Archaeological Museums return, piece by piece (Giuseppe Mancini) Istanbul's Arte