November 21, 2012
Group Exhibition
Dress Code Project
Co-curated by Martina Corgnati & Amel B. Makkawi, and with the exclusive sponsorship of Tanagra.


The Dress Code embedded in clothing includes indications of the person’s gender, income, occupation and social class, political, ethnic and religious affiliation, and attitude towards comfort, fashion, traditions, gender expression, marital status, Sexual availability and sexual orientation, etc.
Clothes convey other social messages including the stating or claiming personal or Cultural identity, the establishing, maintaining, or defying social group norms, and appreciating comfort and functionality.
Looking back historically we can “read” the evolution of a society through the evolution of its attires, its dress codes, in particular that of women. A woman’s attire will tell us something about not only about the climatic environment but more importantly the socio-economic and cultural environment, the value system, the roles and positions people carry in their societies.
The objective of this project is to create a collection of work of art /dresses that reflects the artist’s unique style and his artistic message on the clothing as the reflection of his/her society and critical thoughts on it.
This unique project includes works by some of the most celebrated Contemporary artists of the Middle East and Arab world.
Participating Artists:
Ahmed Al Bahrani, Fadi Yazigi, Fatma Bucak, Ghassan Ghaib Ali, Mahmud Al Obaidi, Marya Kazoun, Naiza H Khan, Nermine Hammam, Rachida Azdaou, Samta Benyahia, Sumayyah Al Suwaidi, Zena Assi & Issam Barhouch.