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Arabic writing with red accents on a yellowed page

Folio from the Qur’an Describing the Disbelievers; Sūrat al-Baqarah (Chapter: The Cow) 2: verses 101–2, 9th–10th century, with later additions, Iraq or Iran, ink, gold, and color on paper, Cincinnati Art Museum, Fanny Bryce Lehmer Fund, 1977.42

"JVA" written on a cracked concrete wall

Aaron Siskind (American, 1903–1991), Guadalajara 15, 1961, gelatin silver print, Cincinnati Art Museum, Gift of Dr. and Mrs. Daniel F. Richfield, 1984.185, © Aaron Siskind Foundation, courtesy of Robert Mann Gallery

A light, eight-point star shape with dark blocks inside

Mehdi Moutashar (French and Iraqi, lives and works in Arles, France, b. 1943), Nun, from the portfolio Variations on seven letters of the Arabic alphabet, 1996, collage, screenprint, and pencil, Cincinnati Art Museum, Museum Purchase: Alice Bimel Endowment for Asian Art, 2024.17.3

A series of nine photos where a pair of hands open to reveal Arabic writing and then close again

Shirin Neshat (Iranian, lives and works in New York City, b. 1957), Offerings, 2019, portfolio of 9 photogravures with black foiling, Cincinnati Art Museum, Museum Purchase: Carl and Alice Bimel Endowment for Asian Art, 2025.6.1–9, © Shirin Neshat, photo credit: LeRoy Neiman Center for Print Studies

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Transmissions

July 8–October 19, 2025

Conversations Gallery
Free Admission
Friends of Photography & Friends of South Asian Art

This Conversations Gallery installation raises questions about communication itself. Alongside centuries-old calligraphic works from present-day Iran and Iraq, a concise selection of prints and photographs by contemporary artists Mehdi Moutashar, Shirin Neshat, and Aaron Siskind invites us to consider the ways artists use symbols—such as letter forms and gestures—to convey meaning. How can simple shapes and the suggestion of movement speak so deeply about transcendent experience and human connection?

 

Accessing the Gallery

This first-floor exhibition has an accessible pathway. The gallery is located to the right of the Welcome Desk when approaching from the museum’s main entrance. Seating is available in the gallery. Audio of exhibition content is available online and via Bloomberg Connects app. Braille transcription is provided on in-gallery interactives. For fidgets, social narratives, sensory headphones, and other tools, visit the CAM Access Cart. The Access Cart is located in Schmidlapp Gallery just beyond the museum’s front lobby.

 

About the Conversations Gallery

Located to the right of the front lobby Welcome Desk, the Conversations Gallery features changing installations that explore artists’ dialogues with the past, present, and future; with each other; and with you. Spend a moment in this space to begin your visit with new visual experiences and thought-provoking questions—and join the conversation.

 

Featured Media

Exhibition Content

Start—or continue—the conversation at home.

Exhibition Content

Download complete large print labels, optimized for screen reader.

Perspectives

Explore the centrality of poetry in Iranian culture.

Perspectives

Learn more about the written word in Islamic art.

Perspectives

Consider how language affects our perception of the world.