This paper studies the relationship between modernity and cultural heritage in a globalized world through the work of contemporary Moroccan artist Mounir Fatmi (b. 1970), titled Modern Times-A History of The Machine (2010), Speed City (2010) and Technologia (2010). The paper looks specifically at how Fatmi’s artwork understands modernity in the Arab world as hinted at by the inclusion of Arabic calligraphy by way of cultural reference. The machinery can be regarded as the Western project for modernism accompanied by industrialization. The Arab world and the Middle East in this discussion are used interchangeably. The paper shows how Fatmi’s artwork highlights the relationship between the industrialized West and the fast growing and urbanized East. Thus, calligraphy in Fatmi’s work can be viewed as traditional as well as contemporary; therefore, cultural heritage, in part, also defines modernity.
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