Social Media is Loving Dearborn Arab American Museum's Wacky Art Piece

posted on: Dec 15, 2019

SOURCE: DETROIT FREE PRESS

BY: BISMA PARVEZ

The “exhibit” is a parody of a wacky art piece, a banana duct-taped to a wall by European artist Maurizio Cattelan, that sold for $120,000 at the Art Basel Miami. Cattelan is the same artist behind the anti-Trump gold toilet.

Not only is the chicken shawarma art a timely spoof, it’s culturally appropriate for the Arab American population of Dearborn and is becoming quite popular on social media.

The museum manager, Matthew Stiffler, told Middle East Eye that he suggested the gimmick to curator Elizabeth Barret-Sullivan, who recommended using a shawarma.

The shawarma sandwich was purchased for $4.23 from Country Chicken, an Arabic restaurant in Dearborn, who said they were not aware their shawarma was used for the art parody exhibit.

Media designer Aya Krisht ate the shawarma. A picture of a half-eaten shawarma was posted on her Twitter account stating, “it was very delicious.”