The world’s first Islamic Arts Biennale is taking place in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. This new event features a host of talented African artists and will be curated by South African architecture professor and principal of Counterspace design studio; Sumayya Vally. Vally is rapidly gaining recognition in both the art and architecture fields. Her vision for the biennale was to create a platform that would project the multifaceted experiences of being Muslim including its ritual, practices and philosophies. The Conversation Africa asked her five questions about the biennale.
Europeans originally defined the categorization “Islamic art” in the 1800s based on geographical, stylistic and historical classifications. As a result, the definition of islamic art was shaped by external perspective rather than being rooted in the faith itself. The goal of the biennale is to present an alternative definition for Islamic arts that acknowledges Islamic philosophies relevant to the present and future, and also celebrates the everyday experiences of Muslims around the world.
The biennale’s theme of Awwal Bait alludes to the reverence and symbolic unity evoked by the Ka’bah in Makkah which is commonly referred to as the Kaaba shrine in Mecca and serves as the focal point for Islamic rituals. The biennale aims to showcase the Islamic practice is rooted in collective rituals and experiences of community and belonging. Platforms like this biennial will encourage the appreciation of the rich cultural and artistic heritages that surround us as well as foster a harmonious relationship between different communities.
Recognizing the creative potential of the islamic faith, practice and tradition is crucial as they can play an important role in contributing to the world. The biennale gives artists a chance to fully immerse themselves in work that is expressly Islamic, and grounded in Islamic practices, philosophies and rituals. By highlighting the different Islamic ways of being, participating African artists are enriching the different perspectives of what Islam represents and has the potential to become. Some of the artists exhibiting at the biennial include South African tapestry artist Igshaan Adams, Haroon Gunn-Salie who is also from South Africa, Tanzanian artist Lubna Chowdhary, Abdelrahman Elshahed from Egypt and a few others.
