Skyline College Art Gallery

Civilization Blues

What do pyramids in Egypt, votive objects from ancient Mesopotamia, and the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli have in common? They are associated with some of the earliest civilizations in the world. “Civilization”… we are taught that this is the highest mark of achievement for a society. It is associated with progress, modernity and success. But is there another side to the story? Civilization Blues is an art exhibition that includes the work of three Bay Area artists: Ebti, Asma Kazmi and Shirin Khalatbari. Each one traces remnants of early civilizations, arriving at painful realities in the present day.

The earliest civilizations are marked by a number of characteristics: they built the first cities, developed agriculture, and invented writing to track people, products, and taxes. They created awe-inspiring monuments that reached towards the heavens and invented technologies to mine precious materials deep in the earth. With lapis lazuli, a vibrant blue stone that was worth more than gold, they created objects that were both sacred and signified political power. These monuments, objects and activities required labor. Semi-divine leaders and the priestly cast made demands and set the stage, while the majority of the people did the hard work.

This division of society between the haves and the have nots continues. To what end? The artists in Civilization Blues trace the values and practices established by those on top during ancient times to consider the impact on people and the earth today. They start with recognizable artifacts like pyramids in Egypt and end with contemporary realities, like the refugee crisis. The exhibition asks us to link the past and present in order to understand how we got here.

Artists:

Ebti

Asma Kazmi

Shirin Khalatbari