Halal Metropolis Exhibition SERIES 

For Halal Metropolis, an exhibition series on Muslim visibility in Southeast Michigan, Maamoul Press curated a showcase of works created by Muslim member artists from the metro Detroit area, all pieces crafted by hand, from printmaking, to book-binding, to illustration. Together, the works represent the powerful ways that artists can use self-publishing practices to subvert the many barriers to publication and distribution often faced by artists from marginalized backgrounds. By taking the act of publishing, printing, and producing books, quite literally, into our own hands, we can better control the ways we are depicted, and the stories we want to tell. The works here represent narratives that are multi-layered, diverse, and sometimes conflicting, complicating the conversation around our experiences through for-us-by-us storytelling.

Exhibited artists: Leila Abdelrazaq, Noura Ballout, Yasmine Elhagehassan, Aya Krisht, Amel Omari, Zeinab Saab. 

This showcase, alongside a wide range of art from the local Muslim community, traveled with Halal Metropolis across multiple venues in Southeast Michigan:

Bank Suey, Hamtramck  
Sept. 6-28, 2019 

Arthur Secunda Museum at Cleary University, Howell  
Nov. 8-Dec. 20, 2019

Stamelos Gallery Center, University of Michigan-Dearborn 
Jan. 17-April 3, 2020 

Stamps Gallery, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor
May 28-July 16, 2021

Scarab Club, Detroit
July 28-Aug. 28, 2021