The Persian Gulf, important because of its vast energy resources, emerged into the limelight of geopolitics at the time of the British Labour government's policy of withdrawal from East of Suez in 1968. Before 1968 it had been recognised that the Gulf lay in the legitimate sphere of influence of Britain, while the United States exerted its influence in the two pivotal littoral states of Iran and Saudi Arabia. The Soviets had been gaining influence in Iraq ever since the overthrow of the monarchy in 1958 and the Chinese were also fishing for influence by their support of the Popular Front for the Liberation of the Arabian Gulf. This book examines the political axes of the various super-powers with Iran and the Persian Gulf and discusses the implications of these problems for the issue of security in the region.

Korea's transformation over the last thirty years has been unique in the world and this is the most comprehensive English language survey of contemporary art from Korea ever published 120 artists, museum and gallery directors, curators and collectors are represented in this lavishly illustrated book making it a vital resource for both those in the know and readers wishing to acquaint themselves with Korea's contemporary scene for the first time. As a nation prospers, so does its art. Although Korean contemporary artists take both global and local issues into account in their work, what makes Korean art unique are its diversity and its individuality, informed and enriched by rigorous experimentation and cultural exploration. In recent years, Korean contemporary art's vibrancy has been recognised in the international arena, with artists such as Do Ho Suh, Kimsooja, Michael Joo and Koo Jeong-A appearing as major figures. The book presents profiles of these internationally recognised figures as well as of such up-and-coming artists as Lee Yongbaek, Jeon Joonho, Moon Kyungwon and Nikki S. Lee. Further texts also profile influential curators, as well as the country's leading arts institutions, among them the National Museum of Contemporary Art, Korea; Leeum, Samsung Museum of Art; the Nam June Paik Art Center and the Seoul Museum of Art. The Gwangju Biennale is also highlighted.

Russia has undergone an amazing cultural and political transformation over the past forty years. How has its rapidly changing social landscape shaped its art? And how does art effect social and cultural change within Russia? This generously illustrated volume explores these questions by presenting a broad but balanced selection of work by eighty Russian artists working from the 1970s to the present day. It features many newcomers, including Alexei Kallima, Kerim Ragimov and Olga Chernysheva alongside such well-established names as Ilya and Emilia Kabakov, Eric Bulatov, Boris Mikhailov and AES+F. With more than 600 colour illustrations, perceptive interviews, in-depth profiles and three essays by leading scholars and collectors, Frozen Dreams will be an essential guide to a hitherto neglected area and an up-to-the-minute cultural portrait of an exciting artistic arena.

Nobody doubts that the contemporary art of Turkey has `arrived' on the international stage: Hale Tenger's work has been bought by the Pompidou Centre; Fikret Atay features in Tate Modern's collection; Kutlug Ataman has been nominated for the Turner Prize; and collectors flock from around the world to pick up pieces by exceptionally talented Turkish artists. 'Unleashed' is the most comprehensive account yet of the recent storm of activity in Turkey's art scene. A sumptuously illustrated A-Z of over ninety of the most exciting Turkish contemporary artists, it contains many exclusive interviews with some of the biggest names in Turkish art, as well as such up-and-coming artists as Leyla Gediz, Emre Huner and Ali Kazmal and the Turkish diaspora. It also features interviews with and profiles of leading curators, gallerists, collectors, artist-run spaces and museums. The work of the featured artists is put into further context by three important essays written by leading curators and critics, which tackle the issues of identity, and the relationship of Turkish art to international artistic trends.

In the perpetual quest for the new, the exciting and the innovative, the attention of the global art community has in recent years been more and more focused on the Middle East. Exhibitions and articles have highlighted a remarkable burst of creativity in the region, as Arab countries from Syria to Algeria, Egypt to Lebanon and Palestine to Saudi Arabia have launched some of the most fascinating artists in recent years. The conceptual playfulness of Hassan Khan, the charged paintings of Jeffar Khaldi, the organic sculptures of Diana Al-Hadid, and the moving photography of Yto Barrada have dazzled audiences with their variety, innovation and thoughtfulness. Until now, however, nobody has captured the vitality of the region's art in a single book. New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century offers the most comprehensive, scholarly and in-depth survey yet of what is currently happening at the cutting-edge of art in the Arab world. It begins with five groundbreaking essays that offer the best context to date for contemporary Arab production. Between them they discuss the critical issues of diaspora, globalization, identity and audience, and also explore the origins of the current boom in the political upheavals of the late 20th century. These essays are then followed by some 90 superbly illustrated profiles of key artists, organizations and galleries. Mixing the well known (such as Mona Hatoum or Susan Hefuna) with the up and coming (for example, Steve Sabella or Mireille Astore), this section offers a vibrant perspective on the current state of Arab art.

Colombia's contemporary art scene - one of the most vibrant in Latin America - nevertheless remains relatively undocumented outside that country. With profiles of 90 key players and four critical essays, Contemporary Art Colombia captures the renewed dynamism of the Colombian art world. Contemporary Art Colombia features the key figures, museums and spaces so integral to the booming Colombian art scene, including public institutions such as the Museo del Banco de la Republica in Bogota and the Medellin Museo de Arte Moderno; private initiatives such as Art Fair ArtBo; private institutions such as Flora and Fundacion Misol; commercial galleries such as Bogota-based Casas Riegner and Instituto de Vision; artists such as Doris Salcedo, Carlos Motta, Edinson Quinones, and Oscar Munoz; and well-established figures like Celia de Birbragher, the founder and editor of Latin America's leading art magazine, ArtNexus.

In the perpetual quest for the new, the exciting and the innovative, the attention of the global art community has in recent years been more and more focused on the Middle East. Exhibitions and articles have highlighted a remarkable burst of creativity in the region, as Arab countries from Syria to Algeria, Egypt to Lebanon and Palestine to Saudi Arabia have launched some of the most fascinating artists in recent years. The conceptual playfulness of Hassan Khan, the charged paintings of Jeffar Khaldi, the organic sculptures of Diana Al-Hadid, and the moving photography of Yto Barrada have dazzled audiences with their variety, innovation and thoughtfulness. Until now, however, nobody has captured the vitality of the region's art in a single book. New Vision: Arab Contemporary Art in the 21st Century offers the most comprehensive, scholarly and in-depth survey yet of what is currently happening at the cutting-edge of art in the Arab world. It begins with five groundbreaking essays that offer the best context to date for contemporary Arab production. Between them they discuss the critical issues of diaspora, globalization, identity and audience, and also explore the origins of the current boom in the political upheavals of the late 20th century. These essays are then followed by some 90 superbly illustrated profiles of key artists, organizations and galleries. Mixing the well known (such as Mona Hatoum or Susan Hefuna) with the up and coming (for example, Steve Sabella or Mireille Astore), this section offers a vibrant perspective on the current state of Arab art.

From Botticelli to Bacon, da Vinci to Damien Hirst, artists have invested their personalities in the environments in which they have worked. Although today numerous artists have abandoned the studio model in favor of new modes of working enabled by new technologies, the studio space, often containing the visible remains of artistic ingenuity, toil, and torment, continues to present a window into the creative soul and a summary of widely varying methods and approaches.

Sanctuary: Britain s Artists and their Studios is the first publication in half a century to look behind the scenes at both artists working lives and their workplaces, encouraging them to speak, delving into their minds and exploring their methodologies and personalities. Surveying 120 renowned artists living and working in Britain today, from the most noteworthy to new, upcoming talent, Sanctuary offers a visual feast of specially commissioned photography while following each artist through their working routines. Tony Cragg, Anthony Gormley, Jenny Saville, Anish Kapoor, Mark Wallinger, Phyllida Barlow, Jane and Louise Wilson, Thomas Houseago, Tracey Emin, the Chapman Brothers the list goes on. In addition to highly individualized interviews with all of the artists featured in the book, the stage is set by three highly engaging essays exploring the meanings, configurations, and personalities of a huge range of studio settings and environments in the context of the contemporary British art scene."

Chronicling a journey of close observation across some of the country's most picturesque states via the medium of 60 entertaining, informative profiles, Mexico: A Culinary Quest captures the essence and spirit of Mexican food history as well as a wide range of contemporary cooking styles. The profiles represent a cross-section of both walks of life and social classes: nuns; grande dames; campesinos; barrio residents; creatives in the arts, architecture, music, film and media; businesspeople - and, of course, great chefs. The lively profile texts are accompanied by specially commissioned photographs of both people and places, focusing the aesthetic interplay of visual and textual narratives. While food is at its heart, the lure of Mexico: A Culinary Quest is not just the featured personalities - their tables, their menus, their local specialities, their kitchens - but the country's magnificent settings and landscape. From Yucatan to Tabasco, from Nueva Leon to Chiapas, from famous watering holes to local holes in the wall, Mexico: A Culinary Quest is a feast for both the eyes and the intellect.

Qatar: Realm of the Possible charts, in the form of a vivid visual journey, the rise and current state of the nation of Qatar. More than 250 masterful and evocative photographs of the Qatari landscape, cutting-edge architecture, everyday vignettes and special events from camel beauty contests to high- speed car racing accompany a cross-section of profiles of the personalities who are helping to shape the transformation of this once sleepy, relatively small Gulf state into the rising super-mini-state that is today’s Qatar. Situated on a peninsula jutting out into the sea halfway along the western coast of the Gulf, Qatar’s 11,400 square kilometres host a range of topographical features, including sandy coastline, mangrove swamps and desert dunes, all vividly captured here through beautiful art photography. The sprawling metropolis of its capital, Doha, is home to world-class educational institutions, prize-winning architecture and research centres at the forefront of their disciplines. Qatar is also home to what is arguably the strongest media voice in the region, as well as one of the world’s most respected organs of journalism, Al Jazeera. Qatar’s infrastructure growth and breathtaking financial expansion are not simply a testament to the richness of its oil and gas reserves, however. The wide-ranging and prescient vision of its ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, along with his dynamic wife, Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, is shared by the majority of the population. As both an exploration and a celebration of this vision, Qatar: Realm of the Possible explores modern-day Qatar, whose landscape and culture are rapidly changing in every sense while its people strive first and foremost to balance tradition with modernity.