What is GCC? Find out at MoMA PS1

What does GCC stand for? If you follow politics, you probably know the acronym as the Gulf Cooperation Council, the inter-governmental body and consortium of six countries—Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the UAE, Kuwait and Oman—that cooperates on trade, security and economics. But it's also an art collective. This Sunday, nine artists––FATIMA AL QADIRI, Khalid Al Gharaballi, Nanu Al-Hamad, Sophia Al Maria, Abdullah Al-Mutairi, Monira Al Qadiri, Aziz Al Qatami, Barrak Alzaid, and Amal Khalaf––unveiled a show at MOMA PS1. The part speculative, part-real collective describes itself as a "delegation," and creates work that oscillates between the aesthetics of diplomacy, the undocumented culture of award-giving in the Gulf, and the elite forms of speech that separate ministers from the common citizen. Their photographs, videos, and installations depict places from the alpine slopes of Morschach, Switzerland to Kuwait's national assembly, intertwining as a cohesive study of contemporary Gulf culture.

GCC: Achievements in Retrospective runs through May 25, 2014 at MoMA PS1
Photos by Lina Michal

The GCC "delegation" at MoMA PS1 on Sunday