Modern Painters

74 MODERN PAINTERS JUNE/JULY 2016BLOUINARTINFO.COMFROM TOP:Jeff Koons atthe NewYork Times Artfor Tomorrowconference,2016.The Museumof Islamic Art,designed byI.M. Pei.``````constitutional monarchy, thosestrictures are epitomized byAl Jazeera, a satellite news andonline outlet founded bythe royal family, which reportsfreely about current eventsglobally but avoids local politicsentirely. A day earlier, when Ilanded at Hamad InternationalAirport, I had bought copies ofall the day’s newspapers, Arabicand English. Each had the samecover photo and some versionof the less than stirring head-line: “Emir Witnesses MilitaryParade in Saudi Arabia.”Criticism, broadly speaking,is off the table. Five years ago,the poet Mohammed al-Ajamiposted a video of himselfreading “Tunisian Jasmine,” aSDVVLRQDWHUHÁHFWLRQRQWKHuprisings that were then sweep-ing the Arab region and thecontradictions of the royalfamily’s monopoly on power. AQatari court sentencedal-Ajami to life in prison. (Thesentence was later commutedto 15 years.) This February, 20scholars of Arabic literature,writing in an open letter, urgedcolleagues to boycott atranslation conference hostedby the government: “Qatar’srulers need to understandthat they will not be respectedas patrons so long as theyimprison artists for practicing``````their craft.”Religious conservatismdemarcates another redline. InQatar, Koons could neverexhibit “Made in Heaven,” hiscollaboration with the Italianpornography star Ilona; theracy sculptures Woman in Tuband Fait d’HiverZRXOGQ·WÁ\either. Even his stainless-steeltrain sets with Jim Beam logosor liquor advertisements fromthe “Luxury and Degradation”series would offend local mores.I asked Koons about the moraldimension of visiting a countrythat not only wouldn’t showmuch of his catalogue but isalso willing to jail a poet. “I’veheard stories of an artist beingin prison,” Koons told me, as``````we sat on white couches in theW. “My idea of participatingand of art having a moralresponsibility, I think, comesfrom my experience of growingXSμKHVDLG ́LQWKDWÀUVW\RXhave a concept of self and oftranscendence of the self, andthen you become aware of yourplace within the communityand your responsibility to thecommunity, and that justgets played out on larger scaleslater in life, depending uponyour desire for participation.”I found that answerunsatisfactory: Al-Ajamiparticipated, and ended up injail. In previous interviews,Koons has discussed the moralobligation the artist has to``````Sheikha Al-Mayassa posing forphotos. Once the sea of peoplehad parted, Her Excellency andentourage entered the galleries.The scale of each roomwas grander than the one before:hundreds of Hu Zhijun’sLQWULFDWHFOD\ÀJXULQHV/LXWei’s city built of oxhide dogchews; Huang Yong Ping’smammoth octopus suspendedfrom the ceiling, its tentaclespervading the room. That wasfrightening enough, butthe earsplitting booms from thenext gallery beckoned. Whatwas the noise coming from thehuge, metal-plated cube?Peering through oval windowsinto the 27-by-39-by-39-footVWUXFWXUHRQHVDZDÀUHKRVHÁDSSLQJXSGRZQDQGDURXQGÀOOLQJWKHER[ZLWKZDWHUblasting it against the wallsand ceiling. The noise wasjarring, the sound of urbanconstruction injected into thewhite cube of a museum. Amist of water grazed my facethrough a small crack inthe container. The piece iscalled Freedom.``````I wondered whether art couldplay a productive role wherepolitical reform and free speechare absent, or at least strictlylimited. In this conservative,``````FROM TOP: THE NEW YORK TIMES ART FOR TOMORROW CONFERENCE; QATAR MUSEUMS AUTHORITY``````O