Best of 2014 Seven Stories, Seven Interviews

A Contemporary Woman Master of the Pen

"There is an idiom in the culture of the East: 'No mashk can be without love.' To love what you are doing is one of the fundamental principles of being successful." (Hilal Kazan)

Hilal Kazan / First two pages of Qur'an, detail, naskh, 2010, hand made old sized paper, hand made/traditional ink / Courtesy of Hilal Kazan

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Islamic Art Hands-On

"Learning through doing is critical, it’s not simply about acquiring a critical analytical understanding of the designs. A sensitivity to the contemplative dimension of the work, both as a student and as a teacher, is essential." (Richard Henry)

Art of Islamic Pattern - different workshops / Courtesy of Art of Islamic Pattern

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Art from MENASA Region Presented to an International Audience

The art that fascinates me is the one that makes an effect in me, makes me reflect about the world we live in and makes me learn something new. (Sabrina Amrani)

Exhibition view of Mirage by Zoulikha Bouabdellah at Sabrina Amrani Art Gallery / On the left: Mirage II, 2011. Steel and car paint. 1,60 x 1,60 m. Edition of 3 / Courtesy of the Artist and Sabrina Amrani Art Gallery

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Testament to the Symbiosis of Difference

"The conceptual ambiguity of the resulting patterns, a theme also represented in the large projects I have created over the years, create an interactive experience in which the onlooker’s subjective experiences of alienation and belonging become part of the piece and its identity." (Anila Quayyum Agha)

Anila Quayyum Agha / Intersections, installation view / Courtesy of the Artist

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‘Silent Synchrony’

"This visual abundance created by the transposition of images, colours, techniques and light and shadow also brings me back to my childhood and the countless hours I spent observing the magical world created through the eye of a kaleidoscope..." (Samta Benyahia)

Samta Benyahia / Installation view, 'In the Light of Morning,…Albert Camus', Gallery Martine et Thibault de la Châtre, Paris, 2008 / Courtesy of the Artist

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The ‘Spiritual’ Matrix

"Experiencing art in different surroundings especially so different and specific like Japanese culture was magnificent but also challenging. Although there are many cultural differences I was more occupied with the things we shared in common." (Taida Jasarevic)

Taida Jasarevic / Sky, installation from the exhibition 'Three Cycles' / Photo © Islamic Arts Magazine

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Beauty and the Lens

"These days, unlike before, I’m more into ‘reality’ than ‘truth’. I think that reality emerges in front of an artist’s eyes like magic in each and every second but that it is we who can’t often see it." (Kourosh Adim)

Kourosh Adim / Dreamy Woman, frame 13 / Courtesy of the Artist

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