But a storm is blowing from paradise

A magical journey to enrich our understanding of Middle East and North Africa through a poetic visual experience that challenges the stereotyped views of the region. This was the soul of the exhibition But a Storm Is Blowing from Paradise: Contemporary Art of the Middle East and North Africa, by Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative, opened to the public in Milan from 11th of April to 17th June 2018.

But a Storm Is Blowing from Paradise was Guggenheim celebratory stage UBS MAP Global Art Initiative, a multi-year program that witness the mutual commitment of Guggenheim and UBS to foster contemporary art and its knowledge.

Thanks to selected collaborations with artists, curatorial residencies and organizations coming from South and Southeast Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa, MAP initiative contributed to show the public a different light of these regions. 8 international exhibitions, more than 85 artists, 3 curatorial residencies, 126 new acquisitions for the Guggenheim collection and about 600 programs for the public: a unique program that reached more than 1 million people all over the world, focusing the lights on artists coming from regions that are widely underrepresented both in the world and in art market.

Guggenheim UBS MAP Global Art Initiative ended with this extraordinary exhibition in Milan. Through drawings, photographs, installations and videos, But a Storm Is Blowing from Paradise presented a selection of artistic voices and reflections from North Africa and the Middle East. Visitors were able to discover an ancient city made entirely of couscous, Algerian architecture, giant bronze flowers, and experience the GAM like never before through architectural cuts that connect the historical past of the museum to our present.