Arts & International Affairs: Volume 2, Issue 1 | Page 64

York University professor Andrew Ross who has been barred from traveling
to the United Arab Emirates following his criticism of the labor conditions
there (New York Times ����). In May ����, the UAE also blocked the entry of
two Gulf Labor artists, Walid Raad and Ashok Sukumaran, into the country.
In addition to censorship and human labor concerns, questions are also
being raised as to whether the current museum and cultural developments
in the UAE are capable of fully representing the diverse identities and
cultures of both the local and migrant populations in the country, and allow
different individuals and groups the opportunity and space for meaningful
cultural expression and engagement. One criticism that is often levelled at
these developments involves their presumed bias toward Western endorsed
approaches and categories over other forms of artistic expression as well as
the fetishization of prestige through the globalization and use of established
museum brands. Hans Ulrich Obrist (quoted in Batty ����) captured
some of these concerns when he argued that there is the danger of the
“homogenizing force” of globalization, which can threaten local voices and
diminish hybridity and difference if culture becomes merely an import. A
similar concern is expressed by the art historian and curator Maymanah
Farhat who argues that “the Emirates have poured millions of dollars into
Figure 1. Autopoiesis display
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