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National Museum hosts art exhibition in collaboration with U S Embassy

16 Jan 2025 By OUR CORRESPONDENT

Muscat – The National Museum in Muscat, in collaboration with the U S Embassy, is presenting the art exhibition ‘Madeline Díaz: Nuevos Caminos’, featuring over 20 artworks by Dominican-American artist Madeline Díaz. The exhibition, which runs until January 29, 2025, offers a compelling exploration of cultural identity, migration, and history through evocative landscapes and still-life compositions.

The exhibition highlights two core series of Díaz’s work. The Caminos Series consists of 16 landscapes inspired by the artist’s travels along the Saint James Way in Spain. These works reflect her personal journey from the Dominican Republic to New York City and ultimately to Santiago de Compostela. The series invites visitors to reflect on themes of migration and identity, linking the historical pilgrimage route to broader human experiences of movement and belonging.

In addition, the post colonial Bodegón series offers a modern reinterpretation of the classic Spanish still-life genre, featuring products from the Americas, such as purple and red corn, chocolate, and hibiscus flowers. Díaz’s work in this series seeks to highlight the cultural contributions of the Americas while challenging colonial narratives through art, presenting a form of reverse colonisation.

At the opening ceremony, Ana Escrogima, the U S Ambassador to Oman, emphasised the significance of the exhibition as a platform for cultural exchange, stating that it provides Omani youth with the opportunity to explore themes of identity and belonging through the lens of nature. Díaz herself remarked on the cultural dialogue between Oman and the Americas, noting the deep, historical connections between the two regions through trade, food, and shared humanity.

Madeline Díaz, born in the Dominican Republic and currently based in Paris, is renowned for her exploration of themes such as identity, migration, and postcolonial legacies. With an educational background in Art History and Museum Studies, Díaz has had an illustrious career in museum education and cultural programming, having worked with renowned institutions such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Grand Palais.

This exhibition marks an important cultural milestone, fostering a deeper understanding of identity, migration, and the artistic connections between Oman and the Americas.

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