EXHIBITION Islamopolitan to be Exclusively Showcased at Istanbul Design Week

Maraya Art Centre, the innovative contemporary visual arts hub in Sharjah, is preparing to take part in Istanbul Design Week, the premier design event in Turkey, which is set to take place from 5 - 9 November 2014.

Maraya’s participation in Istanbul Design Week is in line with the Centre's future plans to nurture local design talents and aims to promote and create awareness of artists and designers from the Gulf region in Turkey and will also mark the first stop on the international tour of the centre’s groundbreaking collective design exhibition ‘Islamopolitan’. In addition Maraya Art Centre Manager Giuseppe Moscatello and acclaimed designer Khalid Shafar will also be taking part in a panel discussion on November 6, 2014.

Speaking about their upcoming participation, Maraya Art Centre Manager Giuseppe Moscatello said, "The contemporary art and design scene in Sharjah is growing rapidly and our participation in events such as Istanbul Design Week offer a wonderful opportunity to introduce the international community to the superb work being done by designers and artists from around the world inspired by Islam. We are also very excited to see Islamopolitan make its international debut and looking forward to the discourse and discussion that this thought provoking exhibition is sure to invoke in the design community at large."

Highlights from the Exhibition

Al Nour by Momen Mushtaha. Concrete, wood, 35x15x15 cm/ Courtesy of Maraya Art Centre and the Artist

'Sharjah Octagon Chandelier Installation' by Felix Beck, Zlatan Filipovic, Professor Paul Bantey / Microcontrollers + LED, 130x200 cm / Courtesy of Maraya Art Centre and the Artists

'The Predicament' by Amer Al Dour, Amal Haliq, Jozef Hendricks / Plexi, 3d printed ABS, actuators, metal. 220x150 cm / Courtesy of Maraya Art Centre and the Artists

'The Path-Al - Tawwaf' by Abdulaziz Al Harbi. Neon (Light installation), Diam. 200 cm / Courtesy of Maraya Art Centre and the Artist

Focused on design that reflects a specific locale, while embracing a place’s multicultural demography, Islamopolitan first ran at the Maraya Art Centre from 3 June to 23 August, 2014 and was the result of an unprecedented open call submission process which saw both emerging and established artists from all backgrounds and working across mediums invited to submit work centred on the exhibition’s theme. Featuring work from designers that identify with 12 distinct nationalities, the exhibited pieces span the mediums of furniture design, jewellery, photography, video, art installation, object design, tapestry, wallpaper, fashion design, pottery, and sound installation.

The exhibition’s international tour will commence in Istanbul during the Istanbul Design Week and will include exhibitions in Italy, the UK, and a number of European countries.