Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Ashmolean − Eastern Art Online, Yousef Jameel Centre for Islamic and Asian Art

Al-Qur’an al-Karim: Sacred Verses, Beautiful Pages

(from 8th Mar until 1st Jul 2012)

Discover the Qur’an as a source of artistic inspiration and expression in this selection of works on paper.

Detail of a page from a Qur’an in muhaqqaq, naskhi, and kufic script, Iran or Turkey, 1200-1400 (Mus
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The Qur’an in contemporary art

While the practice of copying the Qur’an in book format continues to this day, a number of contemporary Muslim artists have produced alternative and inventive adaptations of its revered verses. Either using well-known passages, or single, powerful words, their increasingly diverse oeuvre demonstrates how the Qur’an continues to be a vital and inexhaustible source of artistic creativity in today’s practice.

Offered as a coda to the historical material presented in this exhibition are the compositions of two well-established artists, Syed Tajammul Hussain and Ahmed Moustafa. Abandoning conventional media and embracing new forms of visual expression, their works bring traditional concepts to a whole new level. By creating a dialogue with their artistic heritage and cultural past, these artists also offer a chance to reflect on how contemporary practice responds or reacts to traditional Islamic art.

Surat al-'Alaq (EA2000.51) Surat al-'Alaq (EA2000.51)   The Attributes of Divine Perfection (EA2012.2) The Attributes of Divine Perfection (EA2012.2)
Notice

Objects from past exhibitions may have now returned to our stores or a lender. Click into an individual object record to confirm whether or not an object is currently on display. Our object location data is usually updated on a monthly basis, so please contact the Jameel Study Centre if you are planning to visit the museum to see a particular Eastern Art object.

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