DOHA: The Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) will give its visitors insight into the process of collecting and displaying art through “Building Our Collection”, a two-part temporary exhibition which opens tomorrow.
Located at MIA’s temporary exhibition galleries on the fourth floor, the expo explores why MIA collects Islamic art and how the museum’s collecting and exhibition practices shape people’s understanding of Islamic art culture from China to Spain through artistic and cultural connections between different regions of the Islamic world. The majority of featured objects have never before been on display.
The first part of the exhibition, Ceramics of al-Andalus, which is on view until August 30, focuses on rare and beautiful ceramics from Islamic Spain, ranging from lustre albarelli used as medicinal jars for storing apothecary ointments and dried herbal drugs, to dishes featuring royal coats of arms, which exemplify the blending of Muslim and Christian artistic motifs. Ceramics of al-Andalus is curated by Dr Mounia Chekhab-Abudaya, MIA Curator for North Africa and Iberia.
The second part of the exhibition, Safavid and Mughal Albums, runs from September 17 to February 21. It showcases the museum’s collection of miniatures and calligraphy from Safavid Persia and Mughal India. This display will examine the influence of elite Asian collecting practices on the British in colonial India, and how the tradition of assembling albums was adapted from the 16th century Safavid court by the Mughal emperors of India (16th-19th centuries), and then finally co-opted by the British elite in India. This selection of miniature paintings and calligraphic compositions reveals the journey of artistic refinement from the Middle East to Asia and Europe across the centuries, and how this part of MIA’s collection came into formation. Safavid and Mughal Albums is curated by Dr Nur Sobers-Khan, MIA Curator for Turkey.
Through these displays of Andalusi ceramics and Safavid and Mughal albums, MIA illuminates its philosophy of collecting and conserving key pieces in the history of Islamic art, and the value of exhibitions and learning in museums.
Entrance to Building Our Collection is free of charge. The exhibition will be supported by educational material and activities, including guided public tours, talks by experts in Islamic art, and opportunities for teachers to explore museums as places of learning and inspiration.
The Peninsula
