The Sakıp Sabancı Museum welcomes a new exhibition Friday, the ‘2009 Jameel Prize 2009,’ from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The Jameel Prize is a new international art prize for contemporary artists and designers inspired by traditional Islamic art, craft and design. All works competing for the award were exhibited last year in London and are now on display in Istanbul
Leading curators, designers, artists and cultural figures around the world were invited to nominate candidates for the Jameel Prize. In terms of media, the work ranges from jewelry and photomontage to turned wooden prints.
Istanbul’s Sakıp Sabancı Museum is hosting the “Jameel Prize 2009” exhibition from the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. The exhibition features works by contemporary artists and designers inspired by traditional Islamic craft and design.
Speaking at the opening ceremony Friday, museum Director Nazan Ölçer said the rich cultural heritage of Islamic art was a big source of inspiration for contemporary art and artists. She said countries like Pakistan, Iraq, Bangladesh and Palestine, which fight against many crises, had many talented artists that should be considered.
Tim Stanley, a curator at the V&A, said it was very significant to curate the exhibition and to establish cultural dialogue between Islamic art and contemporary artists.
He said the first Jameel Prize was presented to Iranian-born New York artist Afruz Amighi for his work “1001 Pages.” He said all works competing for the award were exhibited last year at the V&A and are now being presented to visitors at the Sabancı museum.
“The V&A began collecting Islamic art in 1850s and has one of the biggest collections. It also held an exhibition about Islamic art in 2006,” he said.
Jameel Prize
The Jameel Prize is a new international art prize for contemporary artists and designers inspired by traditional Islamic art, craft and design. The initiative was launched by the V&A to explore the cultural dialogue between Islamic artistic traditions and contemporary practices, and to contribute to a broader debate about Islamic culture.
The Jameel Prize is sponsored by Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, who conceived the idea after providing financial support for the renovation of the V&A’s Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art, which opened in July 2006. The prize will be awarded every two years. The patron of the Jameel Prize is Zaha Hadid, widely regarded as one of the world’s most innovative architects, consistently testing the boundaries of architecture, urbanism and design.
Leading curators, designers, artists and cultural figures around the world were invited to nominate candidates for the Jameel Prize. Over 100 nominations were submitted, and nine artists were short-listed. The nine finalists were then invited to submit work for an exhibition at the V&A.
In terms of media the work ranges from jewelry and photomontage to turned wood and screen prints. The resulting exhibition demonstrates how dynamic traditional Islamic art can be, and how complex and eloquent the art and design inspired by this tradition has become.
The exhibition at the Sabancı Museum will remain open until Jan. 9.
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