Art14, a contemporary art fair showing work from 42 countries, got under way in the Grand Hall of Olympia in London on Thursday. Labouring among the exhibits as the doors opened, staff put the finishing touches to what could easily have been mistaken for art installations of their own – perfectly aligned rows of wine glasses set out on crisp white tablecloths for the VIP reception. Outside, uniformed commissionaires were on hand to open the doors of limousines pulling up at the entrance.

Art14 is the second show of its kind to be held in London. Last year's event, Art13, attracted 25,000 people including prominent art collectors, pop star Harry Styles and industrialist Lakshmi Mittal who is said to be the richest man in Britain.

For Yemeni-American artist Ibi Ibrahim, having his work on display at this glitzy event is a form of international recognition. Back in Yemen, though, he has been attracting attention of a more unwelcome kind – mainly in the form of abuse on Facebook and Twitter.

In the words of the exhibition brochure, his pictures "often address controversial topics". He is aiming to show that Middle Eastern societies in the past have been less conservative and more open to change than they are today, and he is seeking "to normalise public discussions about self-exploration, sexuality, gender equality and freedom of expression."

Ibrahim readily admits that he has been pushing boundaries – more so than any other Yemeni artist, he says. His work is certainly provocative but not in a way than anyone could sensibly regard as indecent or obscene. 

His London exhibition – a collection of photographs – does include two images of a naked male figure, though neither of them is sexually revealing. For those who are offended by nudity, there's far more to complain about in the Louvre.

Even so, very little of this could be shown publicly in Yemen, Ibrahim says – laughing at the thought of it. The problem, he thinks, is that Yemenis are not accustomed to art that challenges traditional attitudes.

To better understand the ideas behind his pictures, I asked Ibrahim to provide a commentary as we walked round the exhibition:
 

Yemeni Orgasm 
A triptych

Ibrahim: "What you see here is a person who appears to be an Arab man, a Muslim, exploring his sexuality, having an orgasm. You don't really see it and the point of not really seeing it is to connect with the work, not in a physical sexual way but in an emotional way – the idea that an Arab cannot really express himself or herself. 

"We once were able to do that [in Yemen], and cinema and art proves so, in the Sixties and Seventies, but not any more. The name was important to shock the viewer more."
 

Fatima II

Ibrahim: "After I left Yemen and moved to New York, I began working on black and white photographs inspired by my upbringing. I was raised in a very conservative Middle Eastern society so I did a lot of work about women's rights, abusive husbands, a relationship between a Muslim and a Jew.

"This particular story – I remember growing up and a neighbour who was a friend of my mum would always come home and cry to my mum. She was very much abused by her husband so she found comfort in a friend, and that led to the idea of love. I created this fantasy of friendship and affection turning into love and an affair."
  

Girl Moment
Part of a series

Ibrahim: "The [colourful cloth] sitara used to be very popular and was worn by Yemeni women before the black abaya was imported from the north. I think black began taking over sometime in the late Seventies, early Eighties. 

"I'