Art Dubai: Islamic aesthetics discussed in detail at Modern Symposium

March 1, 2017 - Kites by Anwar Jalal Shemza. Courtesy of Anwar Jalal Shemza and Jhaveri Contemporary Gallery

While the regions of the Middle East, South Asia and North Africa (as well as others) share the same Islamic faith; there are several nuances and differences across the nature of spirituality in this huge geographical area. It is, as such, fascinating to look at how these shared spiritualties have been absorbed and translated into works of art.

On the second day of Art Dubai's inaugural Modern Symposium, this intriguing topic will be discussed in a panel called the Impact of Islamic Aesthetics.

Dr. Clare Davies, assistant curator of the Middle East, North Africa and Turkey Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and Dr. Venetia Porter, curator of Islamic and Contemporary Middle East Art at the British Museum in London will be in a conversation moderated by Dr. Iftikhar Dadi, Associate Professor at Cornell University’s Department of History of Art in New York and a member of Art Dubai Modern Advisory Committee.

They will cover artists such as Syed Haider Raza, a much venerated Indian artist who died last year and whose works incorporated multiples influences; Anwar Jalal Shemza a late Pakistani artist whose abstraction was inspired by Islamic art; and Hadi Hazavei who has many links to Iran’s Saqqakhaneh movement.

This will be an insight into how the ancient world has influenced the modern and an insightful look into the history of the region’s aesthetic and how it is reflected in Modern and even contemporary art.

* For more details on the Art Dubai Modern Symposium see the website