Daily Magazine Noted Bay Area collector William K. Ehrenfeld, MD, a pioneering vascular surgeon and professor emeritus of vascular surgery at UCSF, has made an extraordinary gift to the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. Ehrenfeld has donated more than 700 paintings, drawings, prints and photographs from South Asia’s colonial period (roughly the late eighteenth through the mid-twentieth century). The donation provides a remarkable view of the era, while significantly enhancing the museum’s collection of South Asian art, according to Tim Hallman, associate director of marketing & communications at the Asian Art Museum. “People would say my vocation was collecting Indian art and my avocation was vascular surgery. Many are jealous of my retirement since I have done two major exhibitions since retiring in 1992. I had a successful career as an academic vascular surgeon and was former chief of the department, but my true love is Indian art. Although I have never worked as hard as I have at collecting and exhibiting the pieces, I never felt it was work.” Ehrenfeld’s generous gift to the museum includes: • 35 paintings and etchings by perhaps the 20th Century’s most renowned Pakistani painter, Abdur Rahman Chughtai (1897-1975); • 37 Indian paintings, including works of the so-called “Company School,” works produced by Indian artists for a largely British and European clientele; • more than 100 paintings, drawings and prints by Western artists featuring landscapes, architectural views, hunting and processional scenes, portraits, studies of local people and practices, and images documenting historical events; • more than 500 19th Century photographs of India, including works documenting local landscapes, architectural monuments, settings of important historical events; and • several art objects dating from the 18th through 19th centuries including weapons, central Indian folk bronzes, a lacquered manuscript cover from Tibet, a South Indian necklace of gold and rudraksha beads, and a silver statue of a Hindu goddess from South India. |
Edge of Desire “Edge of Desire reflects contemporary Indian society’s constantly shifting experiences of caste alliances, class structures, and global trends in localized settings,” notes Asia Society President Vishakha N. Desai. “ To accompany this major exhibition, Asia Society has organized India: The Future Is Now, a full slate of multidisciplinary programming to examine these dynamic trends as well as aspects of India that generally escape Western attention.”
Archnet ArchNet is an exciting project being developed at the MIT School of Architecture and Planning in close cooperation with, and with the full support of The Aga Khan Trust for Culture, an agency of the Aga Khan Development Network. The Aga Khan Trust for Culture is a private, non-denominational, international development agency with programmes dedicated to the improvement of built environments in societies where Muslims have a significant presence.The goal of ArchNet is to create a community of architects, planners, educators, and students. The community can help each other by sharing expertise, local experience, resources, and dialogue. Members are urged to take on a pro-active role in the community. Imagine the wealth of knowledge and history created in the various schools of architecture around the world. ArchNet hopes to tap that knowledge and provide a mechanism by which these valuable tools can be disseminated.ArchNet will provide an extensive, high-quality, globally accessible, intellectual resource focused on architecture and planning issues and includes restoration, conservation, housing, landscape, and related concerns. It is to be achieved by providing on an accessible server, images, Geographic Information System and Computer-Aided Design databases, a searchable text library, bibliographical reference databases, online lectures, curricular materials, papers, essays, and reviews, discussion forums and statistical information. The structure will be designed to offer each user a personal workspace tailored to his or her individual needs. From this space, they will be able to contribute their own findings and research to the larger site. The website will aim to foster close ties between institutions and between users. Through the use of online forums, chat rooms, and debates, it is hoped that the site can encourage and promote discussions amongst participants. ArchNet will be accessible to anyone with an Internet connection. It will be a bottom-up system, in which information will eventually flow directly from the user to a continually expanding database which can be shared by all. The system will be designed to promote ready intercommunication and maintenance of an international scholarly community of ArchNet members.ArchNet is envisaged as a borderless network of institutions contributing to, and learning from each other, which would have considerable influence in the way that architects and planners are educated and practice. New computer and telecommunication technologies have great potential for supporting communication and collaboration among architectural and planning students, faculty, scholars, and practitioners throughout the world. ArchNet will provide opportunities for realising that potential. Membership is free and your personal information will be kept confidential. Registration only takes a few moments and is necessary for those who would like the ability to be able to contribute to ArchNet.Members can contribute by adding their individual image collections and files in their personal workspace; they can add events to the Digital Calander; post a topic or a response in the Discussion Forum; create a Group Workspace with other members from around the globe; work with their institution to create an Institution Workspace to make student work and faculty research available to the larger community; and, add to the academic directory or link to web resources in the Reference Section of the Digital Library.
Buddhist community views Buddhist Community Views on Objects in the CollectionFrom April to September 2006, seven advisory groups were held with members of different faith community groups. The aims of these were to consult with the communities that the V&A collections were relevant to and see what reactions they had about the V&A collections. The participants were asked to select from groups of pictures of V&A objects and prioritise what items struck them most. These could be for personal reasons or how important they were from a cultural or faith point of view, artistically or whether they still had relevance to their lives today. A Buddhist Stupa in Manikiala 'I chose this stupa for more personal reasons because when I was in India on pilgrimage I saw some similar brick stupas to house the relics of the Buddha. Nowadays they don't look very much like stupas, you have to be told they are stupas. They look more like mole hills because, over time, I think the villagers took the stones away to build their own houses. They have a strangely peaceful impression on me and the mind goes into a kind of emptiness which is what these stupas are about really, to come to this place of contained emptiness.'Sister Cittapala ( Amaraviti Monastry)Majestic Calm of The Great Buddha 'We don't have many old big Buddha statues left and so I think it is very important. When they see Buddha statues it brings peacefulness in their minds.'Lelung Tulku (Tibetan Monk)'I chose the Great Buddha at Kamakura in Japan and I found it particularly moving to look at this image. Awesome is a feeling I get looking at it, power and calm combined seems to emanate from this picture. It makes me feel humble, reverent. There is incredible power in this image for me but the kind of power that will never cause any harm.'Paula ChittayThe Bosatsu Kannon in Birmingham Fah Yueh Temple 'Probably like many others here I have meditated in front of Buddharupas [Buddha statues] so many times the Buddharupa has a clear calming effect of bringing me to peace.'Dennis Evans'We called this Bodisattvah Avalokitesvara. Most Buddhists will pray to or worship this Bodiisattvah and it looks very calm to us.'Ven Chueh Yann Shih ( Fo Guang Shan Temple)'It is a very traditional Buddhist interior and design for current Buddhist people also it is has traditional musical instruments and lots of offerings for a Buddha and that is very important for a Buddhist place.'Catherine YangPeasant Praying Before Images of The God of Light 'I was struck by the contrast of light and shadow, symbolising something like the unenlightened mind longing for light.'Sister Cittapala'Yes, the image of the God of light; but it looks to me not only a god, it should be a Buddha or Bodhisattva it is a Buddhist God. The boy is humble and pays his respects to the God of Lights and so forth by kneeling down, holding his palm and so on, one after the other one, paying his respects. He might repent himself by praying to the God of light, this is how I look at this picture.'Ven Chueh Yann ShihMonk on a Train 'The monk on a train looks so natural. He sits there relaxing on the train, off duty, Thank God I'm off duty and because of a certain trick of the light it looks as if he is smoking a cigarette. Well I didn't know if it was a trick of the light or if he was smoking a fag and I just couldn't help laughing, Oh I'll just take ten minutes, I'm off duty here! Have a ciggie! To me that was just so lovely. Do you think it is a cigarette?'Paula ChittayTibetan Refugee Boys 'I chose this picture of two Tibetan refugee boys because I've always felt, since I was an adult, that we have a duty as adults to protect children. I remember as a child during the Second World War, I as evacuated on three different occasions and each time I was properly looked after and cherished, to use an old fashioned word. I find this picture both beautiful in the way that children can be beautiful and also sad, the two for me are side by side.'Dennis Evans'The older one is around ten years and when I was ten I was also in Nepal like that, so I was also moving around like this and it reminds me of when I was like that, the time I wanted to be a monk.'Lelung TulkuModel of Mahabodi Temple 'I chose the sculptural model of the Mahabodi Temple because the shape is quite distinct and recognisable, it stamps itself on your mind. There is an emotional connection.'Grant OsnamFigure of Buddha Sakyamuni 'I chose Buddha Sakyamuni because of the colour, the light, the smile and the warmth that emanates and for me it gives a glimpse of what is often not shown in my experience and that is the feminine side of Buddhism. I found this figure really refreshing.'Denis EvansBuddha Figure Nagapattinam 'The Nagapattinam gilt bronze Buddha figure reminds me of an event called 'On the Footsteps of the Giants Festival' which was held in the Birmingham Museum in May of this year [2006] and several groups of Buddhist organisations celebrated Buddha's birthday in front of the biggest gilt bronze standing Buddha.'It was a very moving moment because all of the audience shared in the Buddha's birthday and chanting in different languages and, in the meantime, there was a musical fair called 'The Life of Buddha' produced by the Fo Guang Temple who was invited and performed inside the museum.'And according to the feedback from the museum they said that it was the first time that people in the Midlands had been told the story of the Buddha so it was very meaningful and a very nice event. The gilt bronze standing Buddha [in Birmingham Museum] was similar to this.'Catherine YangPlaque with Eight Scenes From the Life of The Buddha 'It tells the whole story of the life of the Buddha from the time he was born, renounced himself cultivations and finally he attains enlightenment and of course after that preachings and he enters into Nirvana. This is very good teaching aid if you have these pictures you can teach people about the life of Buddha. Everything is in there. It reminds me of what comes first.'Venerable Chueh Yann Shih'And what's amazing about it is it is really small, it is like you could put it in your pocket. Everything is there, it is very detailed.'John Clarke'So you could take it around and teach other people with it.'Paula ChittayTangka Depicting 'The Wheel of Life' 'The Wheel of Life is a very familiar picture in Buddhism. I feel I have been living with it for a long time, part of the fabric of me but I suppose I am rather fond of this old teaching picture showing some of the fundamental teaching of the Buddha. You start with this as a beginner and it stays with you, you come back to it again and again, reflect on its symbolic meaning and gradually see things more and more clearly. It is a symbolic teaching picture device and is very important in Buddhism. It is Tibetan so the picture might be Tibetan but the teaching is straight from the Buddhists mouths.' Paula Chittay'This section here, the widest section, shows the different realms the human, heavenly and so on, and what really struck me in this teaching is that the Buddha goes to the different realms with different attributes to help the beings in those realms and to the human realm he comes with alms as if the strongest remedy for human beings is generosity and sometimes when I am not quite sure about the value of being an alms mendicant, as nuns and monks we depend on alms and that is not something that British people really appreciate but it always brings me back to the basic teaching that's what needed to go beyond our attachment.'Sister Cittapala'It tells us that Buddhism's line is not a straight line from beginning to the end, just like a clock there is no beginning and no end.'Ven Chuen Yann ShihStanding Figure of the Buddha 'I have chosen the standing figure of the Buddha, the Burmese one, and I have seen it before in your collection. It speaks to me, it is very hard to put into words.'When I look at the face and the gesture, it indicates something which is an essential part of me having become a Buddhist or even a nun. The face looks as if he is seeing the truth - he doesn't really look out but he sees something which isn't outside and isn't inside but he sees the truth and it is so that this truth is so strong that you can't turn away from it which is an experience that I definitely had in that sense it is speaks to me. Also the gesture of the hand lying on the heart is something to do with it. Then what I found quite amazing is the heart area, when you look at in terms of sculpture, it is a very quiet area, there is not much happening there, it is very serene and quiet but when you look at the folding of the robes they are really moving and expressive, light and dark curved lines. In a way it leads the audience to quiet parts.'The Buddha embraces us all somehow. But still we can find stillness in movement, it is beautiful.'Sister CittapalaBodhisattva Padmapani 'When I come to the V&A I always find myself looking at this figure, I don't know if it is because it is large or because of the aesthetic side of things. For me it has this particular posture with the weight on the one leg - the tribhanga and the twist in the body. It reminds me of Western, Florentine kind of art. You get that same twisting in the body and so for me it has that odd link between Western aesthetics and Eastern aesthetics. I suppose because I do draw, you have to learn to identify all the different things and it is like a dress-me-up kit, where you draw the body and then add on the ornaments and the clothes and it is quite laborious but you develop a mental checklist.'Also there was a Mongolian sculptor called Zanabazar, and he tended to do very soft bodies with intricate ornaments and his work I find is a good fast communicator. Sometimes in Tibetan paintings where the figures are flat, the sensuality you find in Indian art is missing but I think in this Nepali piece and in Zanabazar's work you have a sensuous quality that you have in Indian art but in Tibetan art is pushed back a little bit.'
Spain/ Islamic Art/ChristianArt Islamic Art in the Mediterannean / SpainMUDEJAR ARTIslamic Aesthetics in Christian Art View local partner museum(s)Travelling information(from Autumn 2008)Itinerary I. Daily Life and Liturgy: Home, Kitchen and ChoirItinerary II. The “Cisneros” StyleItinerary III. The Coronation of the Kings of AragonItinerary IV. Mudejar Cities: From Islam to ChristianityItinerary V. Church-Fortresses on the Border with CastileItinerary VI. Castles and Walled CitiesItinerary VII. Daughters of Kings and Nobles: Through the St. Clare’s ConventsItinerary VIII. Consequences of the Birth of Gothic Cathedrals: Working with BrickItinerary IX. Traces of the Past: Churches, Synagogues and PalacesItinerary X. Noble and Monastic PatronageItinerary XI. Temples and Palaces of SevilleItinerary XII. The Aljarafe of SevilleItinerary XIII. Rodrigo de Mendoza, Marquis of Zenete: from La Calahorra Castle to El AlbaicínFor eight centuries medieval Spain was divided into an unequal and constantly changing balance between Christendom and Islam. The history of the military deeds has often confused and hidden the other history of richer lessons, of cultural contacts between Christians and Muslims. In this context of cultural interchange, the capitulation of Toledo in 1085 and the capture of Saragossa in 1118 meant something more than just another incident in the division of territory of the peninsula. The difficulty experienced by the Christian kingdoms in the north of the peninsula in re-populating the vast territories that had been conquered led to a political decision which had long-lasting consequences for Medieval Spain. This was the authorisation granted to the conquered Muslim population which allowed them to remain under Christian domination in the conquered territories, but to conserve the Muslim religion, the Arabic language and their own judicial system. This was why the Mudejars appeared on the social scene; they were the Muslims who were permitted to remain in Christian Spain on payment of a tribute. It is from this crucial moment on, that Muslims settled not only in al-Andalus but also on Medieval Hispanic soil, on the other side of the political frontier, but also in Christian territory. On the one hand there was the cultural assimilation of the conquered Muslims, the Mudejars; on the other, the Christians felt an evident fascination for the Islamic monuments in the conquered cities. It was these social circumstances that made possible the emergence of Mudejar art,which can be defined as the result of the confluence of two artistic traditions: the Islamic and the Christian.
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Blog
Saatchi and Saatchi
South Asian artists on Saatchi and Saatchihttp://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/ (http://www.saatchi-gallery.co.uk/yourgallery/) |
Bill Gates Scholarship
Yama Dixit an enviromental scientist will do a PHD in earth sciences at Cambridge. She will examine if enviromental or climate change caused the collapse of the Harappan civilization.She recieved a scholarship from Bill and Melinda Gates foundation. |
"One book One City-Malibu" Month
All of Malibu will read share and Enjoy Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver RelinMay 1 @ 1pm Dielsel bookstore malibuMay 1@ 7pm Smothers theatre Pepperdine Campus www.ticketmaster.com (http://www.ticketmaster.com/)May 9 @3pm Malibu Library Student led discussion students grade 3-7May 18, diesel bookstore writing contest submission due May 21 @ 6pm Payson Library Pepperdine Faculty led panel discussion about Three cups of Tea and related topics.May 23 @ 3pm Final Event at Maliby LibraryDiesel book announcement of writing contest winner.Month long activities organized by local students:For more information call 310-456-6438www.lblc-bu.com (http://www.lblc-bu.com/) |
Kolkata Art Museum
The metroplolis will soon have a new museum of modern art.It is a joint venture of West Bengal Government and private enterprise.It will be set up on 10 acres in New Town Rajarhat.K.M.O.M.A. signed a contract with the Swiss architect Herzog & de Meuron, based in Basel Switzerland for themuseum project.It will be a second major International architecture in India aftr the landmark venture of French architect Le Corbusier, commisioned by Prime Minister Nehru to create Chandigargh in 1950'sThe museum will have research and educational facilities with database and library.It will work with major museums of the world, focus on Indian Visual art ranging from 19th century reflecting colonial and post colonial.In the academic wings courses will be conducted in musueology, art history, art management and restoration. |
Asian Art Museum
Nazneen Spliedt, the first South Asian president of the Society for South Asian Art. SAA is a support organization for San Francisco Asian Art Museum, one of the Western worlds largest asian Art Museums devoted to Asian Art. they have ongoing lectures open to the public. They also offer First Thursday lecture series, as well as talks on the literature and culture of Asia and study groups.. Recet endowment from the past member Frank Stout of a million dollars.Largest donor was Dr. narinder Singh Kapany, who donated 100 objects to the museum. Its new location overlooks the United Nations Plaza.www.societyforasianart.org (http://www.societyforasianart.org/) www.asianart.org (http://www.asianart.org/) |
Qatar's Islamic Arts Museum
The Museum of the Islamic Arts, Qatar, which is one of four museums planned to be open on the Corniche, is now set to have an official opening on November 22nd . The building has been ready for some time - Prince Charles was given a tour of it during his 2007 visit to Qatar - and can already be seen on the Corniche. The public will be able to enter the museum from the start of December. Although the museum is to feature Islamic Art, and is built using Islamic design, the building was actually designed by Chinese American architect Leoh Min Pei (more commonly known as I. M. Pei,) designer of the Louvre in Pyramid and one of the most celebrated architects in the world today. Pei, who at 90 years old had to be lured out of retirement to undertake the work, then travelled across much of the Islamic world studying its architecture, and in designing the Museum I. M. Pei drew inspiration from Islamic buildings such as Ibn Tulun's mosque in Egypt (the inspiration for the actual architecture came from the 13th century sabil (ablutions fountain) of the mosque) and the Al Hambra Palace in Spain. |
Tagore art work on display at Royal College of Art
Santiniketan is a university founded by the famous Nobel Laureate poet and philosopher Rabindranath Tagore. Rare works of art by Tagore and other artists from Santiniketan are displayed at the Royal college of Art in London. The very name of Santiniketan brings to our mind, the images of outstanding art, education and the way of life said Shankar Mukherjee the Indian High Commissioner of India to UK. |
Signature Art Prize 2008
Art work Wounded Tools by G.R. Iranna gets accoladesThe Singapore Art Museum and Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation commented they were impressed by the submission of contemporary art work by several artists for the Signature Art Prize 2008. There were 34 nominees and 10 finalists from South Asian countries. The Prizes will be awarded mid October, 2008. The purpose of the Foudation is to develop and promote visual art in the Asia Pacific region.According to Iranna Wouded Tools is my commentary on human civilazation, growth and intrinsic follies. The tools depict an actual victims of civilization. |
Sotheby's South Asian art picks
In 2007 Sotheby's sold app $5.5million worth of South Asian Contemporary art. The Deputy Chairman of Sotheby's Europe speculates higher sales as the South Asian art is being purchased by people other than South Asians. |
Saat Samundar Par
Saat Samundar Paar fetches a record Rs. 34 million in an a recent art auction in New Dehli, where bidders from 32 countries competed with each other at the saffronart online auction.The artist Subodh Gupta is a young emerging artist from Bihar who blends indigenous and traditional to spice up the message so clearly depicted with a flair of a rapper. Some of his images show the glistening pots and pans and kitchen utensils, others show a traveller with luggage on an overseas airport cart marked for Dehli. |
Asian Art continues strong sales
Christies reported sales of Asian Art up 60% from a year ago.Christies sold $469 million of Asian Art |
South Asian Art Auction fetches record prices
South Asian online art auctions have grown more than 10 times in the last five years and India has made a major contribution to this growth.Online South Asian art auctions have gone up from $5 million to $60 million globally in five years. The industry is expected to grow further to nearly $200 million in the next five years.One can be part of the auction sitting anywhere in the world with just a click of the mouse. What can be easier than this?Mumbai-based auction house saffron art notched a sale of $7 million from online sales.Online auctions, have transformed the landscape of modern and contemporary Indian art, making it accessible to participants who are constrained by geographical and physical limitations and opening it to a wide spectrum of international art lovers.An untitled painting of Gupta sold for Rs.57 million The auction featured the work of globally-sought painters, sculptors and installation artists, including S H Raza, Subodh Gupta, Jagdish Swaminathan and Rashid Rana.World records were set for eight artists, including Subodh Gupta, Hema Upadhyay, Badri Narayan, K M Adimoolam, Justin Ponmay, Chitra Ganesh Bose, Krishnamachari and Anita Dube.The fact that three of the top five lots were by modern Indian artists demonstrates a heartening resurgence in demand for premium modern works,” |
Record breaking Art Auction
South Asian Contemporary Artwork Sells for $2.5 million dollarsOn June 11,2008 Christie's International director of Asian Art Hugo Weihe and Yamini Mehta head of sales reported a record breaking price sale for South Asian Art. Francis Newton souza's Birth (1955) fetched a record price of $1,273,250.00, purchased by none other than the Harmony Foundation which is headed by Tina Ambani wife of the billionaire idustrialist Anil Ambani of the Reliance group |
Asia Society
Meet the Author:Samina Quraeshi-- Legends of the Indus Legends of the Indus exhibition and panel discussion are supported in part by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Arts. Date: Time: May 19th 6:30 - 8:30 pm Location: New York Asia Society and Museum, 8th floor, 725 Park Avenue, New York Cost: $10 members, students, and seniors; $12 non-members Buy Tickets Online Phone: 212-517-ASIA Discover the multiple perspectives of Pakistani village life in Samina Quraeshi’s illustrated book of folk stories. Drawing from Pakistan’s five main regions, the book is a contemporary incarnation of an ancient oral tradition. Quraeshi discusses these tales as a testament to the diversity and vitality of the Indus region's history. |
Museum with no Frontiers
ISLAMIC MIDDLE EAST GALLERYMuseum With No Frontiers: Discover Islamic ArtThe V&A is one of 17 museums across Europe and the Mediterranean participating in a visionary project called Discover Islamic Art. Developed by the Brussels-based consortium Museum With No Frontiers, this groundbreaking online 'virtual museum' brings together over 1200 works of Islamic art and architecture into a single database.The collection is very broad, with objects in museums from Spain to Syria. This means that each work can be considered alongside related objects and monuments that in real life may be separated by thousands of miles. Entries written by local scholars provide information about the origin and meaning of the objects, as well as brief bibliographies for further reading.High-resolution images are accessible at the click of a mouse, enabling the visitor to see objects in greater detail than is often possible in a museum setting.Click here to go to the Discover Islamic Art website |
Victroria and Albert Islamic Collection
ISLAMIC MIDDLE EAST GALLERYIslamic Community Views on Objects in the CollectionFrom April to September 2006, seven advisory groups were held with members of different faith community groups. The aims of these were to consult with the communities that the V&A collections were relevant to and see what reactions they had about the V&A collections. The participants were asked to select from groups of pictures of V&A objects and prioritise what items struck them most. These could be for personal reasons or how important they were from a cultural or faith point of view, artistically or whether they still had relevance to their lives today.The first group of objects all had a connection with the Hajj and pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia The Ceremonies Around the Ka'bah at The Mosque, Mecca 'This is a very interesting photograph, it was taken in 1880 and it shows people performing the Hajj, the pilgrimage, which is one of Islam's five basic pillars. At some point during a Muslim's lifetime you have to perform the Hajj, so this is a very important religious ritual or religious mission that one has to do. The Hajj has a very personal resonance for me because I performed the Hajj two and a half years ago and what struck me is that this could have been yesterday, very little has changed.The cover of the Ka'bah is called the Kiswa, is exactly the same, it is a black velvet cloth with gold embroidery with Qur'anic verses going all around it. If you were to go on Hajj today you'd see it. The crowds are exactly the same the Haram, we say Haram which is the Holy Mosque of Mecca, is exactly the same. Now it has been enlarged obviously and modernised, even air conditioned in some parts, but that scene is almost exactly the same as you'd find today. I just thought it was interesting.'Mona Madi (wife of Egyptian ambassador)'The reason I chose this is because I grew up with some kind of picture like this in my own house that belongs to my dad or my grandfather, something black and white, not too many people. They must have got it many years ago. The way I see it now, things have changed, I have changed myself but I have got a similar picture from Mustafa but that has got the crowds and a lot of people and I can contrast between these two pictures, like I can contrast my childhood and adulthood, the changes between, you know. I find this picture relaxing, calming, a sense of history, a sense of memories.'Humayan KabirTombs of the Relatives of Mohammed, Mecca 'I chose the tombs of the [relatives] and I chose it because it evokes for me the memory and inspiration of the Prophet Mohammed and the relatives of Prophet Mohammed who are models for all Muslims both past and present. They are exemplars of the faith, they exemplify charity, generosity, leadership and respect and they commanded that and they contributed something amazing to the faith of Islam and the culture and civilisation. So Muslims today honour them, they show reverence to them in all parts of the world and it is definitely a place of extreme importance and they show that gratitude in all aspects of what they do, they are evoked in different ways.'Jasmin MamaniSalou Craft with Mecca Pilgrims, by R T Pritchett 'This image caught my attention, the image of the boat with the pilgrims aboard, it was just the colour. Things have changed, there are different modes of transport that people choose today to do the pilgrimage but this echoes the essence of pilgrimage. The boat is going very slowly, there appears to be no wind, yet the passengers aboard seem to be waiting for God which symbolises what Hajj is about, it is a journey which is out of our control, not mechanised.I have taken Hajj many years ago now. I experienced the crowds, the chaos yet organised chaos in sense but this actually brings back the true meaning, it is not a journey per se, but it is a journey of ones soul and spirit.'Ayyaz Inayat'I chose it because I was born on the shores of the Persian Gulf and it is surrounded by water. It just reminded me of where I was born and because the sea has a significance to my culture and to my ancestors and because they lived off the ocean, fishing and diving for pearls. I found it very evocative because it shows pilgrims on their way to the Hajj in a vessel. It is odd to think that decades ago people travelled this way. I am sure that my ancestors probably made that journey on a boat which obviously today they would never do, but I also find this image very beautiful and it makes me nostalgic for another time.'Sarah al-HamadThe second group of images to choose from were of other holy Islamic sites and Islamic objectsInterior Courtyard of the Jama Masjid, Delhi 'I chose the interior courtyard of the Jenna Mezjid in Delhi, Old Delhi in India and this has personal resonance for me because we lived in India for four years and I went there several times and prayed there. It is a beautiful mosque but there is a difference and it would be interesting to highlight it, between Asian mosques and Middle Eastern mosques, in that in Middle Eastern mosques you pray inside, the interior is where you pray and there is segregation between the men and women. In Asian mosques you pray outside in the courtyard and there is no separation although the women will tend to stand at the back but you can mix.'Mona Mandi (wife of the Egyptian Ambassador)'I did a tour of Delhi and as I was walking round [the mosque] I was struck that everyone sits outside to pray. It was a very peaceful, beautiful place and I slowly walked all round the perimeter but stopped myself in one corner for some reason and just looked out at Old Delhi and I felt something special in that corner, I couldn't quite understand what it was. The guide came up to me and said, 'Did you know that the Prophet Mohammed stood in that corner when he visited this mosque?' So that is very special to me, yes. That picture is important to me.'Charlotte RayaniSingle tile tomb marker in the form of a Mihrab, Iran 'I chose the single tomb marker. The main reason I chose this is because of the colours and the fact that the colour blue is calming and the interpretation I had is that Islam is travelling the world like a treasure. I felt that this symbolised what Islam was about, that there was a truth there, there was a purity of faith that went through all of humanity. There is no idol there and when you look at the tomb, you don't worship the tomb. This reminds you that there is a higher being, the Almighty that one should worship and that these markers are like faith markers around the world. That stuck out to me.'Ayyaz InayatDome of The Rock, Jerusalem: A Measured Section Looking South, by William Harvey 'For me there are two things that come out of it. About it being a place where it is significant to all the Monotheistic traditions, there is a history of beauty and peace as well as today the opposite. The second thing is, within the history of Islam and its building and architecture, it is actually the first monumental building within Islam. It was built fifty years after the prophet Mohammed died and you see this very simple architecture in a building by these people at the time of prophet Mohammed and fifty years later you see this grand style of building and it becomes an important paradigm for what comes within the Muslim tradition. So they were picking up different ideas, design motives and things like that and also from other cultures that they encountered. It is very significant.'Jasmin MamaniQur'an Case, Iran 'I picked this picture, the Qur'an case. It looks like it is a case for a small Qur'an and I have one of those small Qur'ans but it has a leather case that you can open up by a zipper, it is a very practical one that you can take with you travelling.I want to talk about how important the Qur'an is and how it needs to be respected and this is from 1800 but I am sure it must have been the same from the very early days, that it was always kept in beautiful cases and that is still the case. You see Qur'an cases pretty much everywhere in Iran, at a funeral, at a wedding, when a new bride is setting up house for the first time, it is always kept on top of the bookshelf in a pretty case somewhere.This one has some writing, I can recognise the word Allah on the top and there is some writing on it so if there are writings of the Qur'an itself it is very important not misuse it and respect it and keep it preserved properly. The case itself is not holy.'Flora MahdaviCairo Marriage Train 'I chose this marriage procession because I think it is important that our way of life is greeted not only in the sense of religion but as well as in culture. I was thinking of how in Muslim cultures there are different ways of the ceremony being conducted, marriage processions are done and it is subject to a lot of influence from neighbours and neighbouring countries and other religions as well. As soon as I saw this one it came into my mind marriage processions I have seen with elephants and bulls, things like that, I have seen in Bangladesh. Normally it is done with big numbers of cars and limousines, so again there are a lot of contrasts, depending on who wants to employ what. In this country you sometimes find that people use horse carriages or they hire a limousine. That is why I choose this, just to show the culture in weddings.'Humayun KabirMuslim at Prayer, by William Muller 'For me this evokes the simplicity of being a Muslim. It is simply the submission to Allah, the one God and also for me demonstrates that prayer can be done anywhere in Islam. You don't need an elaborate structure or place but the entire world is your place to submit when it is time for prayer and for me it is simplicity really, when it is the time you just choose and you do it.'Jasmin MamaniThe Mosque of Aya Sofya, Istanbul 'I have chosen the Aya Sofya mosque in Sofia in Istanbul. This is a very personal choice because it reminded me of a trip I took to Turkey a few years ago and I spent a week in Istanbul and it is probably my favourite city in the world. It was a very special experience.I am quite secular, I am a non practising Muslim and I grew up in Kuwait which is quite orthodox Muslim, we are mostly Sunni or Shia, there is very little tolerance or plurality. So what I did like about Istanbul was the pluralism, the ethnic diversity and also the fact that I could walk into any mosque as a woman and I wasn't subject to any rules and I could just sit there and be. I didn't have to pray but still it felt very good so yes, that's why I liked it.'Sarah al-Hamad |
Another test entry
This is another TEST entry just to show how blog entries are going to list hered. This is another test entry just to show how blog entries are going to list hered. This is another test entry just to show how blog entries are going to list hered. This is another test entry just to show how blog entries are going to list hered. This is another test entry just to show how blog entries are going to list hered. |
Mundi Prize Winner
Indian artist NS Harsha has won the third Artes Mundi Prize. The £40,000 prize was awarded to Harsha by Jack Persekian, Chairman of the judging panel, and Chinese artist Xu Bing, also a judge and the winner of the first Artes Mundi Prize in 2004.NS Harsha is a storytelling artist who combines details of his everyday life in his native India with world events and images seen on the news. Using the Indian tradition of miniature painting, he mixes the specific with the universal, drawing attention to the whimsical and absurd as well as the significant and tragic aspects of life. We based our decision on the artists' work over the last 5-8 years, said Jack Persekian, and were particularly interested in work that added to our understanding of humanity and the human condition. The panel were impressed by the scope of his work and its range and variety of approach, from painting and installation to community activities. Basing his work upon his locality, cultural traditions and the shifting world of today, Harsha engages and connects with an ever broadening public. The prize ceremony took place at the National Museum Cardiff on April 24 2008. Awarded every two years, the £40,000 prize is the largest international art prize in the UK and one of the largest art prizes in the world. It recognises outstanding emerging artists from around the world who discuss the human condition. |
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