Islamopolitan exhibit a proposed conversation between Islam and design

“You will love this exhibition, I promise,” says Khalid Shafar, via email. The Emirati designer is not prone to overstatement — in conversation or, indeed, in his work — so this isn’t to be taken lightly. If Shafar says that I’ll love the new Islamopolitan exhibition, the chances are that he’s right.

Which is how I find myself braving Sharjah traffic during rush hour on a Wednesday afternoon. Islamopolitan is being presented at the Maraya Art Centre in Sharjah’s Al Qasba, and is co-curated by Shafar and the centre’s manager, Giuseppe Moscatello. Its aim, simply put, is to spearhead “a proposed conversation between Islam and design”. The title of the exhibition, a compound of the words “Islam” and “cosmopolitan”, captures the spirit of the exercise — according to the nifty black-and-white catalogue that I pick up on my way in, it “connotes multiculturalism and diversity but also contextualism”.

Emerging and established local, regional and international designers and artists were invited to present objects that explore the relationship between Islam and design, both in terms of aesthetics and meaning. It’s a bold undertaking — and sensitivity was required. The intention was to encourage debate, while remaining respectful of the religion. And so the focus becomes less on the faith itself, and more on the symbols, architecture, design motifs, rituals and preconceptions surrounding Islam.

“We wanted to present something that would not be offensive in any way, but at the same time was open. This is in keeping with Sharjah’s vision — we are holding this exhibition as a celebration of Sharjah being Islamic Culture Capital for 2014,” says Shafar.

“It’s difficult to define the boundaries, sometimes,” Moscatello concedes. “But the fact that Khalid is from the UAE and I have lived here for seven years means that we could define what those boundaries were. And sometimes, those kind of limits can help you to develop a better project. Ultimately, we wanted to challenge and trigger the creativity of the designers, especially those based locally, and to see how far they could go with their ideas.”

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Islamopolitan exhibit a proposed conversation between Islam and design