Articles

The New Concept of Islamic Architecture in Europe

"The problem of mosques in the west – or specifically Europe – is identity; the majority of mosques are disguised inside any of a re-adapted warehouses, garages or empty buildings, even churches in some cases. The idea of a mosque in its commonly known shape (building + minaret and dome) is widely un-acceptable and refused, in some cases banned, and on the other part, there's no sign of tolerance from Muslims living here as they tend to insist on a certain image of mosques that are traditional but purely symbolic."

Persian Miniature Painting

Maliha Noorani (Norma Jean Calderwood Curatorial Fellow), accompanied by Mary McWilliams (Norma Jean Calderwood Curator of Islamic and Later Indian Art), walks us through her process of building a Persian miniature painting.

New Perspectives in Contemporary Miniatures

ZÃœRICH / Galerie Kashya Hildebrand felt compelled to extend their investigation of Iranian artists after the overwhelming success of their recent Iranian Calligraphy exhibition. In the exhibition 'New Perspectives in Contemporary Miniatures' another significant recent trend is being examined: the re-appropriation of miniature painting in the works by Amir Farhad, Babak Kazemi, Farah Ossouli and Soody Sharifi. The exhibition opens today and will run until October 6, 2012.

The Energy of Calligraphic Gestures

"I am trying to preserve the core values essential to graffiti that conditioned my approach to art: the spirit of calligraphy allied to movement that comes from the aerosol paint medium, the desacralization of art, taking it outside of the museum and making it public." (Vincent Abadie Hafez aka Zepha)

‘I Dream of Jeannie: I See Demons’ by Eric Parnes

In the Fall of 2012, the Galleries at Katara Cultural Village, Doha, Qatar, will present a special solo exhibition featuring the contemporary work of Iranian-American artist Eric Parnes. It is the first one-man show of this artist in the region.

Graffiti Artist el Seed Painted Mural on Tunisia’s Tallest Minaret

French-born Tunisian artist eL Seed painted Tunisia’s largest graffiti mural on the country’s tallest minaret, located at the Jara Mosque in the south-eastern industrial city of Gabès. Reacting to the recent clashes between religious sects and the art community in Tunisia, the artist embarked on a project to transform this religious landmark into a public artwork during the holy month of Ramadan.

The 4th Exhibition by Iranian Artist Saeed Rezai in Sarajevo

SARAJEVO / Saeed Rezai, an Iranian artist, is presenting his work to Sarajevo public for the 4th time. At the exhibition that opened at Gallery Preporod we can see Islamic calligraphy carved in the wood and combined with glass, mirror, metal and canvas. The exhibition was opened by Prof. Dr. Mohammad Reza Aram, the Cultural Counsellor of the Embassy of the Iran in Sarajevo. The exhibition will travel to Goražde (in Bosnia and Herzegovina) next week.