While surfing around the web, I came across the site Visual Dhikr, which is for an art project launched by two UK Muslim artists Ruh Al-‘Alam and Abu Taha.
As muslims we are always looking back at our history and praising the achievments of our forbearers. Their amazing artistic and architetcural achievments that are a source of pride, as well as a valuable contributor to our unique cultural heritage, are becoming a thing of the past.
Visual Dhikr aims to help nurture the revival of Islamic Art in a contemporary fashion that compliments our lives, in our home, in the modern age.
I think this is so great.
I love the artworks that they’ve put on the site and think that it’s great they merge Islamic and contemporary art so beautifully.
[Site: Visual Dhikr]
I like the work, but I wouldn’t say it is “Contemporary Islamic Art”.
You don’t just toss some old Islamic design elements and rearrange them with a nice background and call it “Contemporary Islamic Art”. It needs more effort than that.
Just like any language develops and evolves, any art is expected to develop and evolve. The problem is that the “Islamic Art” has been linked to a period when the Muslims were in greater power than this one we live in, and it is only logical for any strong nation to have the ability to create a clear artistic identity and spread it around and influence other people around it.
I would say that the contemporary Islamic art should be a reflection of the current situation of Muslims worldwide, and not a nostalgic image of the past.
Anyway, enough for talking and back to work.
I understand what you mean Saqf, and I agree that there should be some contemporary Islamic art that reflects the current situation of the muslim world.
Anyway, I still think that going back to our rich Islamic heritage and mixing it with some modern elements is a really cool thing and maybe a beginning for a renaissance in Islamic Art and the creation of true contemporary Islamic art.
I think it is contemporary, but Art can be all subjective. Islamic art isnt the same – unless you judge it simply by aesthetics, Islamic art isnt simply seen but has to be understood. It is a reading and not just a viewing feature of Islamic that makes it so unique.
I like their work, if you think you’ve seen better or can do better…then show us 🙂
Anyway, they say that they are still waiting to launch their full catalogue of work…so lets wait and see.
I just want to know what it says on the image…I can’t read Arabic 🙁 …yet 🙂