If you haven’t seen it yet, you really should. I have to admit I was a bit late in catching this show but when I finally made it to the Maraya Centre recently, I was really impressed by this exhibition. In my opinion it is one of the strongest yet.
In the opening statement, curators Khalid Shafar and Giuseppe Moscatello explain that the show “puts forward a proposed conversation between Islam and design” and its title comes from the merger of the words Islam and cosmopolitan.
Featuring designers from the UAE, the Gulf and beyond, the show begins with a wood installation from French artist Benjamin Testa. Walking through the piece - an examination of the 45 degree rotation of a square entitled Rub El Hizb - is a fitting entrance because it calls to mind the Ka'aba, Islam's most holy place and also a design-centric building.
Then, the exhibition is divided into three sections — Practise, Construction and Etiquette. There are 25 pieces by 23 designers from 12 countries and more than half of the exhibits were created specifically for the show. They are all design pieces but they vary from chairs, chandeliers, ceramic tiles, wall hangings and jewellery.
Some stand out pieces for me are the juxtaposition of Amal's Chair, a rocking chair to aid the ritual of prayer designed by Emirati Sara Al Agroobi and the photographic work Inta Omry by Egyptian Hazem Mahdy, that features him in a bent-over position similar to that of an Islamic prayer.
I also really enjoyed the dark rooms showing light pieces by Abdulaziz Al Harbi and Mahwsih Ehsan. Ehsan, a Pakistani devised a triangular grid system to explore the core of humanity called Unity in Diversity.
The floor piece, Flocking Mosque by Azra Aksamija from the USA is a personal favourite. Composed of slippers and modular prayer rugs, the piece is laid out in an Islamic geometric pattern and aims to "contribute to an architectural interpretation of Islam" to understand its dynamic qualities.
I honestly could have stayed a lot longer than I did in this exhibition as I feel there is so much more to explore in each of the works but as a closing note I have to mention Zahed Sultan, the Kuwaiti who composed the soundtrack for the show - Sout. It's description in the catalogue for me sums up the whole show: "an exploration of sonic landscapes that encapsulate the ever growing perceptions of Islam in modern societies"
* Islamopolitan runs until Saturday at the Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah. For more info visit maraya.ae
