Transformations of Visual and Applied Arts in the Modern Muslim East: Comparative Ethical Perspectives on Identity, Modernity, and Cultural Dynamics

Background Visual and applied arts have historically played a decisive role in shaping collective consciousness, political imagination, and cultural identity within Muslim Eastern societies. From the nineteenth century to the present, these forms of artistic expression have functioned not merely as aesthetic creations but as communicative tools, bridging religion, politics, and society. The encounter with Western modernity, colonialism, and orientalist perceptions significantly transformed the function, reception, and ethical dimensions of visual art in the Muslim East.Purpose This study investigates how visual and applied arts in the modern Muslim East have acted as mediators of social change, reflections of political authority, and instruments of cultural transformation. Particular emphasis is placed on the ethical implications of these artistic developments and the comparative dynamics between traditional Islamic values and imported Western modernist discourses.Methodology The research applies a comparative-ethical and historical-analytical approach, drawing on primary and secondary sources from art history, Islamic cultural studies, and social philosophy. It integrates textual analysis of artworks, exhibitions, and critical debates with theoretical perspectives from modernity studies, postcolonial thought, and cultural sociology.Findings The findings suggest that visual art in the Muslim East was instrumental in disseminating new ideas of freedom, individuality, and collective identity. At the same time, the encounter with Western forms generated tensions, leading to orientalist misrepresentations and internal disputes about authenticity, morality, and tradition. In the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, elite patronage—particularly from Gulf states—has transformed Arab contemporary art into both a globalized cultural commodity and an elite-driven enterprise, raising questions about accessibility, representation, and public engagement.Discussion The dual role of visual and applied arts emerges clearly: on one hand, as a liberating force capable of challenging established religious and political paradigms; on the other, as a field vulnerable to commercialization, political instrumentalization, and cultural alienation. Ethical concerns thus arise over whether modern Muslim Eastern art adequately reflects the lived realities of societies or predominantly serves elite, Western, and institutional agendas.Actuality The actuality of this research lies in its critical reflection on contemporary debates about cultural identity, decolonization, and globalization in the Muslim East. In an era marked by geopolitical instability and rapid modernization, understanding how art mediates between tradition and modernity is essential for grasping broader processes of social transformation. Moreover, by situating visual art within ethical, comparative, and intercultural frameworks, this study contributes to ongoing scholarly efforts to reassess the role of cultural production in shaping political authority, public consciousness, and civilizational dialogue.