ArtNews
Preview - BAHRAIN - February


artBahrain Online Gallery
...where unseen masterpieces is just a click away!
HOME

shaikhebrahimcenter.org
Copyright © 2010, artBahrain.org. All rights reserved. Use of this site constitutes agreement with our Terms and Conditions.
Planning your
trip to
Art Dubai, Sharjah Biennial
or The Armoury Show?
Book ahead!
Save time
and money!
Join artBahrain.org
LOG IN >
Newsletter Sign-up
Submit Events
Submit Exhibition Opening Photos


Are you
looking for
a
creative breakthough?
If you are a visual artist or curator looking for an opportunity to realise your project, we may have the answer to
your creative vision.
For more details
contact us on
info@artbahrain.org
February 2011
An exhibition of contemporary art and design

Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed
Al Khalifa Center for Culture
and Research -
Bahrain 
15 March - 30 June
THE JAMEEL Prize 2009 - an exhibition of contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition - will open at the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research, Bahrain on 15 March 2011. The exhibition, which has toured to seven venues in Turkey and the Middle East, features work by the artists and designers short-listed for the inaugural Jameel Prize.

The Jameel Prize, a new £25,000 international art prize, and the first award of its kind, was launched by the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in London in 2009. The inaugural prize was won by New York-based Iranian-born artist Afruz Amighi for her submission, 1001 Pages (2008), which will be shown in the exhibition alongside works by the eight other finalists. 

The exhibition was seen at the V&A in London in July-September 2009. It then toured to the National Museum in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in January 2010; to the National Museum of Damascus in Syria in April-May 2010; to the Beiteddine Palace in Lebanon where it formed part of the Beiteddine International Festival 2010, in June - August 2010; Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization in the United Arab Emirates in September - October 2010; Sakip Sabanci Museum Istanbul in November 2010 - January 2011; and to La Villa des Arts, Casablanca 28 January - 26 February 2011.

Bahrain will be the final venue for the exhibition. The exhibitions in Riyadh, Beirut and Casablanca are the first that the V&A has sent to Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Morocco.

The Jameel Prize is awarded every two years. Entry is by nomination, and the Prize is open to artists and designers of any nationality and creed. Over 100 nominations were made for the first Prize in 2009, and the names put forward came from countries as diverse as the USA, Germany, Lebanon, Uzbekistan and China. The Prize aims to raise awareness of the thriving interaction between contemporary practice and the rich artistic heritage of Islam, and to contribute to a broader debate about Islamic culture.

In addition to Afruz Amighi, the nine finalists whose work is represented in the exhibition include Hamra Abbas, Reza Abedini, Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Susan Hefuna, Seher Shah, Sevan Biçakçi, Hassan Hajjaj and Bahrain based artist Camille Zakharia.  Their work is varied, reflecting the richness and diversity of the Islamic traditions that inspired them. Their contributions show how dynamic Islamic tradition can be, and how complex and eloquent the art and design inspired by this tradition has become.

The Jameel Prize 2009 and accompanying exhibition were an initiative of Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, who conceived the idea for the award after the renovation of the V&A’s Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art, which opened in July 2006. The Prize and the exhibition in London were supported by the Jameel Foundation, and the tour of the exhibition by Abdul Latif Jameel Community Initiatives. 
Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research

At the beginning of the last century, Muharraq was the capital of Bahrain and the center of major public and governmental projects for better administration, planning and education.  The official and general public shared the vision for progress and development.  The history of this island as detailed in preserved documents tells us about the leaders and unique individuals who were behind these projects.  One of these outstanding personalities was Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, a leader in the fields of education, culture and the social sciences.  From his majlis in Muharraq, he corresponded with leading figures all over the world in search of knowledge and enlightenment and weekly debates were held at his majlis on matters of culture, philosophy and the arts.

For the sake of the memory of this great man, the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research was established as a forum for dialogue between people in philosophy, literature, poetry, culture and the arts.

Starting with the opening in 2002, the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research has hosted over 200 speakers, philosophers, poets and thinkers, who have presented their thoughts in the center’s weekly lecture program.  As the demand for cultural activities and a need for the preservation of our Bahraini heritage grew, the center expanded.  To date, the Shaikh Ebrahim bin Mohammed Al Khalifa Center for Culture and Research has restored around ten traditional Bahraini houses in Muharraq and Manama, many belonging to leading Bahraini personalities or families.  The Ibrahim Al Arrayed House for Poetry is dedicated to the preeminent Bahraini poet, while the Abdullah Al Zayed House for Press Heritage honors the memory of the pioneering Bahraini journalist and publisher of the same name.  Bahrain’s musical heritage is preserved in the Mohammed bin Faris House for Sut Music, and the restoration of the Memory of the Place - Bin Matar House retains not only one of the most outstanding examples of traditional Bahraini architecture for future generations, but also the memory of the Bin Matars, a leading Bahraini pearl trading family.  Local arts, crafts and artisans are supported through the Kurar House and the Heraf al Deiar School of Handicrafts.
Hassan Hajjaj, Le Salon

Hassan Hajjaj, Le Salon
Mixed media installation, 2009 © V&A images

Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Ya Ali Madad

Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Ya Ali Madad
Acrylic and silksceen on canvas, 2008. Courtesy of the artist

1 2 3