In bringing the exhibition to Southampton the collective have produced new work inspired by the city’s maritime history and its reputation as the ‘Gateway to the World’. This deep connection to the sea and the stars, that have for centuries been used to navigate and explore the world, is one shared with Islam. During the medieval period the fields of astronomy, geometry, navigation, trigonometry and cartography blossomed through the work of scientists in the Islamic World. This pursuit of knowledge was partly inspired by the specific requirements in Islam that mean Muslims need to determine the direction of Mecca, and the time for prayers, from any place on earth. Artists were asked to consider this shared history and to develop new work, reflecting in particular on the following verse from the holy Quran.

And He it is who appointed the stars to you, that you might guide yourselves by them through the darkness of land and sea. We have distinguished the signs for a people who know.

The Quran, Sura VI, verse 97 (Al-An’am)

Manifesting The Unseen: Southampton 2021 is an exhibition with many elements that will see the celebration of Islamic art across the city.

Alongside the visual arts, and in keeping with the rich tradition of poetry in the Muslim world, Manifesting the Unseen will once again also invite a series of established and emerging Muslim women poets to create new work alongside our visual artists which will be performed at a Mehfil (recital) as one of a series of events offered as part of the exhibition. The exhibition will also feature a panel discussion with artists, talks, artist led tours of the exhibition and a series of free workshops offering the public the chance to learn about and practice: Islamic geometry, painting & illumination and calligraphy.

Online show https://www.carpetpages.com 

26.10.20 - 25.11.20

Meet the Artists Private View Online Events via Zoom (Booking required)

29.10.20, 6-9pm GMT 

3.11.20, 6-9pm GMT 

25.11.20, 6-9pm GMT

Eventbrite tickets are available here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/carpet-pages-iii-pixels-meet-the-artists-private-view-online-event-1-tickets-125716662923

CARPET PAGES III: PIXELS 

Online for our times

Taking pixels and knots as our starting points, in lockdown we break it down into the simplest smallest elements and build it up again. We have time to work out what’s important. We find that certain elements recur and by grace of their repetition they form gorgeous patterns.  This show brings together diverse artists who work with patterns in various ways. They fabricate their works in silence, in solitude, in home studios and share it with the whole world online. It’s a new way of working for our strange and interesting times and this virtual version of Carpet Pages reflects that process; many of the artists will meet each other online here for the very first time.

A pixel is the smallest unit on a screen. It is a sample and contains among other things the basic information needed to build up an image. The more pixels, the higher resolution the image. 

Similarly, a woven carpet can be broken down to its smallest element, a single knot. The more knots, the more complex the rug.

Thence we sprout:

Pixels into digital images and videos. 

Knots into weaves into carpet patterns. 

Pixels proliferate into the spawn swarm of images we are confronted with every time we meet a screen.

Knots are communication, save lives and end lives, record events and mark the passing of time.

There is more to the connections between carpets and computers. Indeed, weaving itself contributed to the rise of the early computers - Peruvian weavers, Jacquard looms, Ada Lovelace, Charles Babbage and zeros and ones. 

We go beyond the binary to investigate the space in between the warp and the weft: the Buddhist spherical button knot enclosing an empty space invites us to consider the endless, cyclical nature of existence; eternal tazhib* illumination patterns dwell in a place outside of time and the very act of drawing geometry calls for musing on the mystical. Geometric and illumination constructions - the backbones of traditional rug making - form the basis of drawings, paintings, textiles, sculptures. Pixels are separated and recombined like alchemical processes by digital magicians. Contemporary artists contemplate the place of art and painting itself in the mass imagery we are flooded with daily in the Anthropocene, finding meaning in patterns amid the noise. Patterns are formed from stories, landscapes, water sources, weaving, kaftans and kimonos, clocks, the rhythm of everyday life. 

We will of course return to physical Carpet Pages shows when it is safe to do so; for now I am grateful that we can reach a global audience through this online offering. 

This show is dedicated to all the artists in lockdown around the world. 

About Carpet Pages cycle in general:

The Carpet Pages cycle is a series of shows presented by artist and curator Vaishali Prazmari. The dazzling title pages of both Islamic and Medieval European manuscript books were called Carpet Pages in reference to their intricate rug-like patterns. These exquisitely detailed and highly ornamented and illuminated surfaces were covered in arabesques and geometric patterns and often included the use of gold and jewel-like, precious pigments. As book pages are sequential, so future shows will build on this third chapter. The curator's love of carpets also reflects the wider goal of this show sequence which is to bring together diverse artists with similar interests into a whole; to unite disparate elements into a unified pattern, which is one of the goals of rug-making itself. Carpets are visual feasts for the eye and this third iteration in the Carpet Pages cycle promises the same. The talented artists in this exhibition are all adepts in their chosen medium and their exciting work ranges from paintings to textiles, geometry to figuration, large-scale pieces to tiny miniatures and traditional to contemporary art.

ELEMENTS

16 MAY - 9 JUNE 2020

Elements is an online, 3D virtual exhibition featuring 14 international artists from Europe, Asia and the Middle East.

The theme of ELEMENTS brings together artworks by 14 leading and emerging international artists. The exhibition provides an exploration of the theme as perceived from various contexts and lenses. The display includes a variety of media and practice, varying the interpretations and blurring the lines in our perception of space, nature and the immaterial.

Elements was conceived as a response to the Covid-19 pandemic, where many art fairs, exhibitions, conferences and talks were cancelled or indefinitely postponed. The impact for artists has been felt in their continued practice, ability to share their work with the public and their sources of income. This exhibition allows the featured artists to continue sharing their work with global audiences and gives you the opportunity to view the collection from the comfort and safety of your home.

Proceeds from sales will contribute towards supporting the artists’ practice directly and 20% will also go towards the Orphans in Need charity.

The ELEMENTS Team:

Curator: Sara Choudhrey

Graphic Design: Anja Eline Hynninen

Animator: Sophia Ppali

www.elements-exhibition.com

7.10.19 - 19.10.19

Private View 10.10.19 6-9pm

Carpet Pages II: Roots is the second in a series of group shows presented by artist and curator Vaishali Prazmari. The dazzling title pages of both Islamic and Medieval European manuscript books were called Carpet Pages in reference to their intricate rug-like patterns. These exquisitely detailed and highly ornamented and illuminated surfaces were covered in arabesques and geometric patterns and often included the use of gold and jewel-like, precious pigments. As book pages are sequential, so future shows will build on this second chapter. The curator's love of carpets also reflects the wider goal of this show sequence which is to bring together diverse artists with similar interests into a whole; to unite disparate elements into a unified pattern, which is one of the goals of rug-making itself. Carpets are visual feasts for the eye and this second iteration in the Carpet Pages cycle promises the same. The talented artists in this exhibition are all adepts in their chosen medium and their exciting work ranges from paintings to textiles, geometry to figuration, giant sculptural pieces to tiny miniatures  and traditional to contemporary art.

This exhibition focuses on the motif of roots, which contains a multiplicity of ideas –  the physical structure of plant roots; the natural pigments and dyes made from roots used in carpet weaving; the metaphorical nature of ancestral roots; roots that link to a homeland; feeling rooted in the earth or in a place, space or time. They can be etymological. They can be a process. Roots can be the basic cause, origin or source of something; they can be its seed, germ or beginning; they can be its heart, foundation or essence. They can be hierarchical or rhizomatic. In a Deleuzian rhizome-like pattern, the centre is everywhere. The connections between branching root structures can be thought of as nodes, which leads to non-binary, multidimensional thinking; this interconnectedness has no privileged viewpoint and invites multiple perspectives and interpretations which in turn is reflected in the spontaneous and surprising connections between the various pieces in the show.

The Education Centre, Homerton University Hospital,  NHS Foundation Trust, Homerton Row, London E9 6SR

PRIVATE VIEW 2 July 6-8pm. Contact:  shaun.caton@nhs.net

Over the last 10 years there has been resurgence of interest in Islamic art as a contemporary art practice. The Art of Islamic Pattern, an educational partnership formed by Richard Henry and Adam Williamson in 2008, has been at the heart of this revival. From their studio in Hackney Wick, and more recently in Bow, East London, they have taught several hundred students practical skills in this venerable art form. The courses have centred upon geometric design, Arabesque floral motifs, and traditional craft practice. The works presented in this show, comprising painting, ceramics, woodwork, works on silk, have all been produced by former students and colleagues, many of whom have gone on to be successful artists in their own right.

Islamic art is renowned for its use of exquisite designs, which resonate with the most harmonious patterns found within nature and the cosmos. With the focus upon unity and harmony, rediscovering and recreating these designs, can be a deeply meditative experience. It is a particular pleasure to have the opportunity to display these works at Homerton University Hospital. Whilst there has been considerable interest in recent decades in the therapeutic potential of visual art, we believe this is the first time a show dedicated to Islamic art has been presented within a London hospital setting.

EXHIBITORS

Boris Aldridge, Hasret Brown, Taufiq Dawood, Emma Ferris, Richard Henry,

Ameet Hindocha, Aziza Iqbal, Semira Kahsai, Sandy Kurt, Margi Lake, Xiaoxiao Ma,

Jeea Mirza, Maaida Noor, Raanaz Shahid, Shehana Udat, Adam Williamson.

For more information please visit: www.artofislamicpattern/exhibition