ABSTRACT
This paper explores the linkages between contemporary art and the representation of migrant laborers in the Gulf states, with the aim of examining how migrant laborers, mostly from South Asian nations, are represented within the cultural sector in the Gulf. It discusses how migration is implicated within national discourses in the Gulf states, analyzes how these complex migrant identities are involved within museum and heritage development, and considers the way that laborers are represented, and engaged with, in contemporary artistic practice. It is suggested that contemporary art offers a unique window through which to analyze and explore migrant identity in the Gulf states.
