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Islamic art has been a focus in New York since 9-11 |
After September 11th, horror, sorrow, regrets and confusion were felt in every New York City art gallery, museum, theater, cultural institution, and library and concert hall. But instead of wallowing in grief and pain, the city’s cultural community decided the time was at hand to promote healing and knowledge through increased artistic endeavors.
The demise of the World Trade Center presented a diverging path for New Yorkers to follow: Either walk the road of anger, stereotypes and revenge, or travel a road of sorrow, discovery and resilience. For the most part the latter brilliantly emerged, with help from the art and cultural institutions that turned their focus on Islam, Afghanistan and the Middle East.
Although South Asian, Middle Eastern and Islamic art programs are a vital part of the city’s livelihood, (indeed some institutions yearly have such line ups), following September 11th a plethora of galleries, cultural organizations and major museums coordinated numerous programs in an effort to foster greater appreciation for the beauty and peaceful nature of Islam.
The Asia Society was perhaps the first group to offer a better vision of Islam and Afghanistan than the dark images thrust into minds of New Yorkers. In a month’s time the organization announced a major fall initiative that lasted the whole year: America’s Crisis: Asian Perspectives.
Every month on the 11th the society organized panel discussions and speakers on topics ranging from Afghani thoughts on the ensuing war to women in Islam to the artistic significance of Iran’s Ta’ziyeh drama. The crux of its programming was an extraordinary photography exhibit, “Through Afghan Eyes: A Culture in Conflict, 1987-1992".
The exhibit contained 75 photographs and select videos of remote regions of the country that recorded the last days of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, the subsequent civil war and how the country disintegrated in the post Cold War era. Most remarkable was that Afghans, which generated a great intimacy and understanding to the subject, created all parts of the exhibit.
Many New Yorkers expressed appreciation for the society’s quick attention to in-depth knowledge of Afghanistan, the Middle East and Islam. Elaine Charnov, director of programs in education at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), said the Asia Society’s vast focus on Islam was a good example for other institutions.
“In general, it seems like the city, whether it was university or cultural centers really had their eye on these concerns throughout the season,” she said, adding that the focus was not necessarily a new thing for New York, but rather an intensified approach.
The largest draw came in October from the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met), which presented three special shows – one of Islamic-Indian metalwork, one of Mughul jewelry and one of glasswork. The three largest-ever Islamic art exhibits came at a most opportune time to scrub away the violence that had stained Islam in the weeks before.
“Treasures of the World: Jeweled Arts of India in the Age of the Mughuls” attracted the biggest crowds with its gem-crusted scabbards, swords, and other jewelry. Throughout its more than four-month run, the exhibits continued to pull large crowds, which also increased interest in the Met’s permanent Islamic art exhibit. It was a wonderful introduction to the ornamental nature and abstract design of Islamic art.
“The all-over pattern composed of countless, individual interlocked parts, each giving birth to the next, offers a visual equivalent of Islam’s holistic, integrative world view,” wrote Holland Cotter in the New York Times. “It’s one that advocates control of mind, body and space, and that sees the faithful as all part of a single unity.”
The AMNH also initiated a new annual series in January titled “Living in America,” set to focus on one ethnic community each year. The first chapter of the series concentrated on South Asian, Middle Eastern and Islamic communities. Charnov said they had planned to focus on South Asia, “but once all these events happened, it became more expansive on one hand and more focused on the other to have representation from the Muslim community.
“That’s the nature of doing public programming. It’s really a conversation with the city and the world,” Charnov added. The program was well received, she said, judging from verbal responses and written evaluations. “In looking at the demographic of that program, we got a much younger community – it broadened the stance of multiple generations.”
The programming addressed a range of cultural and religious issues, providing a “forum for many different voices,” Charnov said. “We tried to use a lot of different mediums, whether it was story telling or documentary film.”
One particular photography exhibit garnered attention for its personal look at Afghani women from behind the veil. The photos, taken by Afghan-American Shekaiba Wakili, presented a unique, insightful perspective on the dignity of the veil and the strength of the women who wear it. Wakili, who had numerous exhibits throughout the year, said the New York art community was able to create a lot of good out of 9/11.
“What happened was that people realized it was time to reach out to the community as a whole,” Wakili said. “It was an individual group of people that committed this act of violence. The art community was looking to try to diversity as quickly as it could to accommodate the current situation.
“That created a dialogue between the world and the Muslim community: ‘We are here, we are making art.’ There are a great number of Muslim women artists, and a lot them have always been here, and now they’ve been noticed. It was interesting to see the museums incorporate that,” she added.
Many art galleries also stepped up with an excess of painting, sculpture and photography exhibits, mostly centering on all things Afghanistan. But one show in April at the IndoCenter in the Chelsea area of Manhattan provided a new light on Pakistani art by featuring five artists with a range of cynical, enlightening and curious work to challenge the worldview of Pakistan.
Afghani and Middle Eastern film festivals with Islamic-themes also flourished Such independent films reaped much acclaim and attention from many New Yorkers who seemed to prefer the smaller flicks to big Hollywood productions. The Human Rights Watch International Film Festival in June especially presented remarkable documentaries and films with sympathetic views towards Islam and Palestine.
But the true barometer, perhaps, for the amplified interest in Islam and Muslim artists came in January with a cultural program called “Reflections at a Time of Transformation,” a musical, poetical and artist event sponsored by the American Sufi Muslim Association (ASMA) Society. Nationally popular and local Muslim artists performed five-minute vignettes at the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine in Upper Manhattan.
Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, who opened the event, said Muslim artists are guided by a divine awareness. He paraphrased a hadith, saying “God has treasures beneath the throne, the keys of which are the poets. Rauf also offered comfort to the mixed audience who were often on the verge of tears, saying, “Death is a bridge that unites friend with friend. Remember the greatest friend is our creator.”
The program was unique in that it gave Muslim artists a direct chance to voice their pain and strength of faith, to share sympathy with New Yorkers but also fight for Islam with the beauty of words, art and sound. Celebrated calligrapher Mohamed Zakariya – perhaps most famous for his design of the Eid stamp – had various pieces of his work on display that day. One showed a part of a hadith saying “[Let there be] no harming and no returning of harm for harm [in Islam].”
He later said that Muslim artists have an obligation, now more than ever, to promote the beauty and peace of Islam. “Islam is really a soft thing. We must approach each other with softness. Revenge, suicide bombings, they have no place in Islam.”
On the whole it seemed the New York art and cultural community worked hard to combat with the violence of 9/11 through its vast and abundant spotlight on Islam, Afghanistan and the Middle East. Wakili said she believed the positive emphasis would continue. “It creates a dialogue between cultures and people, and the best way to maintain that dialogue is through the art.
“There’s such an interest in Islamic art now. This isn’t going to stop,” she added. We are part of the fabric of America.” |
