An aura of political mischief pervades Singapore Art Museum's new exhibition Terms & Conditions, which features 16 provocative works by contemporary Arab artists.

Organised in partnership with the UAE-based Barjeel Art Foundation, some of the works - especially the video art - stand out for their pure cheek and daring.

In one video work, three sexy blondes sing songs in veneration of late Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. One Britney Spears-type starlet sings with sizzling mock-sensuality: "Oh father of virility... we will level the enemy ... we will wipe America from the map..."

As it turns out, the songs were actually commissioned by Saddam when he was alive to glorify his rule. But artist Adel Abidin recast the songs into contemporary pop numbers to parody both Saddam's propaganda as well as the slick commercial gloss used all over the world to sell products on TV.

The work points to a number of issues, not least the complexities of the ongoing conflict in Iraq and the recurring attempts by spin doctors to project a positive image of US military engagement, now in its 10th year.

Curator Mandy Merzaban says: "Many works in the exhibition investigate how perceptions of history and social realities are regulated and controlled, something that is very much global as it is present in the Arab world... In a sense, we chose this theme to satisfy a void."

Indeed, surprisingly little of visual art deals directly with political issues. The greatest artists in the last 150 years from Monet to Picasso to Mondrian were inspired less by socio-political events than by the artists' essential desire to devise new aesthetics.

The reason why China's Ai Weiwei has been twice voted the most influential artist in the world by Art Review - well ahead of top-earning superartists Jeff Koons, Damien Hirst and Takashi Murakami - is that he makes works based on his political convictions.

The works presented in Terms & Conditions are thus refreshing in their direct and unabashed engagement with politics.

But for prominent Egyptian artist Moataz Nasr, whose work is featured in the exhibition, creating politically-engaged art is simply part and parcel of an Arab artist's life.

He says: "You can't live in Middle East without being engaged in the society. You wake up in the morning and the first thing you might see is anger on the streets. When you read the papers or watch TV, you're surrounded by conflict ... It shows up in your work - even if you try to escape it and be more neutral."

His work titled The People comprises 25 ceramic figurines representing the various people he encountered during the Arab Spring, a series of revolutions in the Middle East that began in 2010. One set of figurines depicts a famous scene - that of Egyptian riot police beating and stripping a female protester, exposing her blue bra. The abuse of the so-called "girl with the blue bra" sparked outrage and reinvigorated the Egyptian people's zeal to topple their military rulers.

But for Moataz, she also represents his ambivalence over how people like her, who "would die for their beliefs", have been "hijacked and turned into icons by those with interests that are actually different from hers ... Now it feels as if the revolution has thrown the country back to the 14th century, instead of bringing it forward to the 21st century", referring to the country's growing conservatism.

Notably, he made the figurines in a colourful, ornamental manner to allude to the porcelain souvenirs one finds in gift shops "that are bought, sold and displayed - not something human or real", says Moataz.

The museum's director Tan Boon Hui adds: "This exhibition argues against misrepresentation and stereotypical views of Arab art. The works challenge you to take time to understand the subtle nuances and multiple layers of meaning that the artists have captured in their artworks ... Each of us must try harder to understand the full meaning of artwork and hence each other."

Careful viewing is certainly required for the stunningly bold video work, Sharif Wakeed's To Be Continued. It repels one at first glance with its image of a suicide bomber sitting at a table with an Islamic flag behind him and a rifle before him, reading aloud what seems to be his "statement of intent".

However, when one views the video longer, one realises that he's reading aloud a fairytale from 1001 Nights, the classic collection of Arabic fables. It tells the story of a woman who marries a murderous king and tries to save her life by telling him stories every night, ending every session with a cliffhanger so he would let her live another day.

"In a way," explains curator Merzaban, "the 'suicide bomber' in this video is suggesting he wants to prolong his life - not shorten it." The video thus asks one to look further beyond the stereotypical assumptions of suicide bombing and examine the actual motivations of these men and women.

Other works that demand a deeper engagement include Jananne Al-Ani's terrific video installation Shadow Sites, where aerial shots of a landscape against the looming noise of an airplane's engine parody Western media's coverage of contemporary warfare.

Also intriguing is Raed Yassin's China, where scenes of the Lebanese Civil War (1975 to 1990) are painted on large Chinese vases to critique how art conveniently turns real-life conflicts into objects of contemplation.

On that charge, we are all a little guilty.

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