Mahtab Hussain’s photographs shed light on the Muslim experience

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In October 2023, Sofia Hassan and her niece were shopping along North Salina Street when they had an unusual interaction. They were stopped by Muslim artist Mahtab Hussain and asked to be spotlighted in his exhibit highlighting Syracuse’s diverse Muslim community.

“I think that Mahtab’s work is supposed to make us feel like we’re a part of a bigger world,” Hassan said. “Our community is not just our neighbors or the people that look like us.”

“Muslims in America: Syracuse Edition” is at ArtRage Gallery from Feb. 3 to Mar. 16. The exhibit features 29 carefully curated photographs taken and edited by Hussain, a multidisciplinary artist from the United Kingdom.

ArtRage Gallery is a nonprofit organization that features art exhibitions focused on social justice and environmental issues. The gallery originated from Syracuse Cultural Works, a local business that sells art and advocates for social justice. Each installation showcased in the gallery has a message behind it, said Community Engagement Organizer Kimberley McCoy.

“When you walk into ArtRage, the first thing you are hit by is the gaze of every single person in that space,” Hussain said. “(The portraits) are asking you the question ‘What do you see?’”

“Muslims in America: Syracuse Edition” displays a series of portraits that explore the Muslim experience in North America. Hussain has traveled to Los Angeles, Baltimore and Toronto. Now, he has brought his exhibition to Syracuse, before traveling across the United States for the next two years to continue this artistic journey.

The portraits, taken in October 2023, feature Black and Brown Muslim individuals from Syracuse. The vibrancy and colors of those featured and the city of Syracuse shine through the images, Hussain said.

With this project, he aims to answer the question: “How do you change the perception of Muslims?”

Hussain was born in Glasgow, Scotland, to two Pakistani, Muslim immigrant parents. He studied in England and was the first man in his family to go to college. The opportunity to go to college gave him the chance to find his authorship, he said.

“If my parents still lived in Pakistan, we would live in a village,” Hussain said. “I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to be educated and have the luxury and freedom to be a creative.”

As a child, Hussain was always fascinated by portraits and the emotive experiences behind artistry. He would always look at the imagery on billboards and ask why only white bodies filled the canvas. He never felt seen in the media or popular art.

“I’ve always felt really drawn to art and beauty and the kind of beautiful visualization of what art brings us,” Hussain said.

Hussain has been creating visual art about the Muslim experience for 15 years. As an undergraduate student at Goldsmiths’ College, Hussian studied museums and the history of art. His time in college inspired him to use his platform as an artist to display the Muslim experience.

“We are worthy of this space as portraiture,” Hussain said.

When curating “Muslims in America: Syracuse Edition,” Hussain wanted to ensure everyone in the community felt represented. He visited local mosques and community centers to find individuals who would be interested in being a part of the exhibition, translating local community members’ experiences into photographs.

Hussain is particularly intrigued by the power of visual language. He uses this power to diminish the racist stereotypes of Muslims. Hussain wants viewers to understand that the Muslim community is not a monolith nor the “crazy Arab” stereotypes pushed upon them, he said.

“We’re very complex individuals, just like any other community. We come in various shapes and sizes,” Hussain said.

McCoy is the Community Engagement Organizer at ArtRage Gallery. She is in charge of managing all aspects of the facility, from programming to marketing. She was inspired by Hussain’s precise vision for the exhibition.

“They’re a celebration of diversity within the Muslim community in the world but also in our own community,” McCoy said. “They work to shatter stereotypes.”

Hussain hopes his art changes the stereotypes faced by Muslim individuals. His photographs aim to relay the idea that Muslims are a part of the American experience, he said. He hopes his art serves as a voice for Muslims everywhere.

“(My work) is about the power of visual language,” Hussain said. “And how you deal with the propaganda, and the racist stereotyping, and misinformation within the media and lack of representation within art.”