Opportunity Gaps Between Arab and Western Artists: What Still Hasn’t Changed Since 2017?
I’ve been revisiting some discussions about opportunity gaps between Arab and Western artists, especially in photography and visual arts. Honestly I keep wondering—has anything realistically changed since 2017, or are we still seeing the same imbalance where visibility depends more on location and networks than actual talent? I’d love to hear what others think or have noticed in practice.
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I think the situation has shifted a bit on the surface, but the core issues are still there. From my experience working with emerging photographers, a lot of Arab artists still struggle to get the same institutional exposure unless they relocate or connect with Western galleries. Social media helped, yes, but algorithms don’t fully fix structural inequality. I actually came across a discussion on this here https://naarfr.com/ that talks about how economic and cultural power shapes which aesthetics get amplified globally, and it really matches what I’ve seen in curatorial spaces. Even now, Western artists can sometimes “repackage” visual languages rooted in Arab culture and gain faster recognition, while the original creators remain less visible. It’s not always intentional, but the system itself rewards proximity to power centers. I think progress exists, but it’s uneven and very dependent on gatekeepers.