Introduction: The Guantánamo Artwork of Moath al-Alwi: Art as Expression, Witness, Evidence

This chapter introduces readers to Moath al-Alwi, held without charge or trial at Guantanamo since January 2002, and to his artwork and the artistic processes he has developed during his imprisonment. Before detailing the range of essays in the volume, the chapter presents the circumstances of Moath’s indefinite detention, including his experiences of solitary confinement, torture, and force feeding. Through the lenses of carceral and evidentiary aesthetics, it also contextualizes Moath’s artistic production in the broader landscape of representations of and from Guantánamo, including changing policies regarding the ownership of detainee art. Finally, the authors posit Moath’s art as self-representation and expression, as witness to the material conditions of confinement, and as evidence of egregious, ongoing human rights violations.