Islamic Arts 23 Islamic Arts Diary by Lucien de Guise


ISLAMIC WORLD OF WONDERS Islamic art and science were once as inseparable as a modern anatomist and his surgical glove. For centuries, the two were as one – just as Europe had its Renaissance and Enlightenment figures who straddled multiple fields, the Islamic world has polymaths who achieved much without necessarily becoming household names. Some may have influenced Leonardo da Vinci. One intellectual adventurer who remains largely unsung is Zakariyya ibn Muhammad al-Qazwini. He was a lucky 13th-century survivor of the turmoil of Mongol invasions across West Asia. Just as the Mongols were civilised


by the peoples they conquered, incisive minds like Qazwini’s shaped perceptions for centuries to come. Te author of Te Wonders of Creation and the Rarities of Existence was an Islamic judge and professor, who emphasised wonder as a path to knowledge, urging readers to contemplate natural marvels to deepen their understanding of God and the cosmos. His work remains influential, offering insights into Islamic culture and inspiring curiosity about natural phenomena. Te innovative exhibition Wonders


of Creation: Art, Science and Innovation brings the Islamic world to southern California – more famous for the natural wonders of the celebrated San Diego Zoo. Not that the impulse behind a menagerie of the planet’s most diverse fauna is so different from the curiosity of Qazwini. Exploring the diversity of God’s green earth was his mission, in much the same way that zoological gardens were established as part of the restless, questing and often religious Victorian spirit.


NATURAL PROGRESSION Continuing the theme of discovery, the natural world and the Islamic world, there is a handy juxtaposition of all three at an exhibition which opens this month. ‘Arabesque’ is the latest offering from the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, and true to its location in a tropical rainforest at the heart of a capital city, there is a prodigious display of decoration inspired by nature. Six years ago, Arabesque was the first temporary exhibition at the British Museum’s newly launched Albukhary Foundation Gallery of the Islamic World. Now, the contents have travelled back to their original base in Malaysia. Te message is much the same although some of the individual displays have changed. Te arabesque is the


quintessential decorative motif of the Islamic world, characterised by intricate scrolls of stylised leaves that symbolise infinity and the enduring essence of creation.


A compendium containing astrological and talismanic treatises, mostly by the 9th-century Abu Ma’shar Al-Balki, Iran, probably Shiraz


Qazwini’s cosmography examines more than just our planet; it is about the entire universe – or at least what was presumed about it at the time – blending scientific knowledge with fantastical anecdotes, portraying all phenomena as signs of divine creation For the purposes of the San Diego Museum of Art, this enormous field


The illuminated Farasnama-E-Rangin (Book of the Horse) from Iraq, 1879.


has been condensed into an exploration of the intersections of science and artisanship in Islamic material culture and contemporary art. To achieve this, the curator Ladan Akbarnia has cast her scholarly net across the entire Islamic world. Te 200 exhibits on display have been borrowed from more than 30 institutions, including the Al-Sabah Collection, Dar al-Athar al-Islamiyyah, Kuwait; and the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia. Trough the latter, visitors will be able to see those least-visible of all Islamic works: the oeuvre of the most populous Islamic region in the world today – the Malay Archipelago. It is a corner of the planet that has made a greater contribution to the natural sciences than many, as well as relying on a very large extent of elements of flora and fauna for its visual stimulus. Supplementing the selection


from these prestigious collections, visitors will see contemporary commissions for the exhibition by artists Ala Ebtekar and Hayv Kahraman, along with works by other prominent contemporary artists. Te San Deigo Museum of Art has also commissioned Mamluk joinery samples made by master craftsman Hassan Abou Zeid, of the Egyptian Heritage Rescue Foundation, to introduce a hands-on opportunity for visitors and has commissioned two contemporary replicas of a 17th-century Persian astrolabe by Taha Yasin Arslan. It is the range of exhibits, as well


Medicinal spoon, Ghaznavid Iran, circa 10th century


arabesque motifs, highlighting their evolution from early calligraphy, notably in the Eastern Kufic style, to their transformation into a standalone decorative form. Tis is not only a mode of artistic expression but also a symbol of cultural identity, reflecting the rich heritage of different regions and the interactions that occurred across the Islamic world and beyond. Te arabesque has transcended its Islamic


Hardwood panel, Malay Peninsula, 19th century


Te exhibition explores the origins of the arabesque and provides insights into the development of designs where symmetry, rhythm and complexity converge to create an harmonious whole. Visitors are invited to discover the regional variations of the arabesque, from Rumi in Ottoman Turkey to Islimi in Safavid Persia and Tawriq in the Arab world. Te exhibition traces the


chronological and geographical development of


Group of Seven tiles, Timurid Iran, 15th century


as the message, that makes this display so extraordinary. Using objects from the 8th century up to today, it is a sense of wonder which is the vehicle used to explore a culture that has unjustly been called


origins to influence global art and design, from the sumptuous work of Renaissance Europe to the simplicity of the contemporary. Te timeless rhythm of the arabesque has inspired artists for over a millennium, maintaining its appeal and relevance in the modern world.


• The Arabesque exhibition at the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, ends 27 October 2024


Incense Burner, Northeast Iran, 12th century


uninquisitive and intellectually reactionary. With treasures including lavishly illuminated and illustrated manuscripts, fine textiles, lustre-painted glass and ceramic wares, astrolabes and star maps, talismans, inscribed precious stones, and architectural marvels, it is hoped that visitors will gain a deeper appreciation of ingenuity and craftsmanship spanning 13 centuries across the Islamic world. ‘We are thrilled to present this


groundbreaking exhibition to our visitors with support from the Getty through its PST Art: Art & Science Collide initiative,’ says Roxana Velásquez, Maruja Baldwin Executive Director and CEO at the San Diego Museum of Art. ‘Tis exhibition celebrates the rich cultural heritage and enduring legacy of Islamic civilisation, inviting audiences of all backgrounds to discover and appreciate its profound and diverse contributions.’ Te last word should go to


Qazwini, whose sense of awe is apparent throughout his work: ‘Tere are enough wonders beneath the celestial sphere – like the orb of ether with its awesome effects, the orb of air with its clouds and rains, the orb of water with its marvellous seas, and the orb of the earth with its expanse and stability, stable mountains, extensive rivers, beneficial minerals, and choice trees – to boggle the mind of any and every wise person’.


• Wonders of Creation at the San Diego Museum of Art


is open from 7 September 2024 to 5 January 2025


SEVEN LABOURS OF A LOVING ARTIST Another exhibitor at the British Museum’s Islamic Art gallery has roamed less far for her latest show. Seven Pavilions of Love is an exhibition of miniature paintings by Farkhondeh Ahmadzadeh, which opens this month at the Aga Khan Centre Gallery in London. Te works are inspired by the Haft Paykar (Te Seven Beauties), a romantic allegorical poem of the medieval period written by Nizami Ganjavi in 1197. Te 1995 English translation of the legendary Persian poet focuses on the transformation of King Bahram from a flawed and worldly ruler to become a just sovereign. Love becomes the guiding light on the path towards enlightenment. Te artist has determinedly


sought authenticity in her approach. From making grounds and supports to dyeing paper and extracting pigments from plants, insects, minerals, and other natural


sources, she has transformed the past into the present with her modern mode of alchemy. For stains and sizing of grounds she uses walnut, chestnut, pomegranate, saffron, and aubergine. Her colour palette includes gold, silver, lapis lazuli, malachite, cadmium green, yellow ochre, raw sienna, vermillion, cinnabar, lead yellow, red ochre and burnt sienna. All are ground and bound using gum Arabic before suspending them in water. Each of the 14 paintings in


• Seven Pavilions of Love by Farkhondeh Ahmadzadeh at the Aga Khan Centre Gallery, King’s Cross, from 5 September to 24 November


the exhibition is accompanied by illuminated calligraphic text. She approaches her work as a spiritual discipline which requires effort and hard work to ‘polish the mirror’ in order to achieve unity, harmony and beauty. Te process and outcome are exciting enough to have inspired a film that is currently being made about the painstaking techniques of this London-based artist.


ASIAN ART | SEPTEMBER 2024


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