A new exhibition of Islamic Art opens at the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum
For media images and interview requests, please contact: Zikhona Jafta at mediaofficer@iziko.org.za
On Saturday, 29 January, the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum, in collaboration with the South African Foundation for Islamic Art (SAFIA) opened a new exhibition of Islamic art, titled Islamic Art – An African Interpretation.
Not of a specific time, place, medium, or even religion, the term ‘Islamic art’ describes both the art created in the service of the Muslim faith, and exemplifies all artistic traditions of the Muslim culture. As Islam is not only a religion but a way of life, it inspires the development of a distinctive culture with its own unique artistic language that is reflected in art and architecture; its strong aesthetic appeal surpassing time and space, and transcending differences between language, religion and culture.
In Islamic Art – An African Interpretation, curator Annelize Kotze endeavoured to bring together the work of a number of South African Islamic artists, including world renowned artist and Founder of SAFIA, Achmat Soni. In bringing together the work of artists from various backgrounds, this exhibition seeks to celebrate the diversity of Islam, who we are as a people of Africa, and constitutes an unequivocal statement: that we disavow that our Africanness be defined by our race, religion, gender or historical origins.
Exhibiting artists:
- Shanawaaz Salie
- Atika Plato-Hoosen
- Raffiq Desai
- Safeyah Samuels
- Ismail Ebrahim
- Farieda Salie
- Zaitoon Ebrahim
- Sabiha Jhetam-Loonat
- Galiema Dalvie
- Mahmudah Begum Jaffer
- Mohammd Kamil Edwards
- Shehnaz Suliman
- Shaheen Soni
- Fahmida Harris
- Rukaya Ballim
- Zaitoon Abed
The Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum is one of the earliest homes built in the Bo-Kaap area, dating back to the mid-eighteenth century. The museum, situated in the historic area that became home to many Muslims and freed slaves after the abolition of slavery, showcases local Islamic culture and heritage. Islamic Art – An African Interpretation is the first of a series of exhibitions at the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum aimed at reimagining and repositioning this mid-eighteenth century home. Here, Iziko seeks to tell the story of Cape Town and, more specifically, the Bo-Kaap area – historically a melting pot of religions and cultures from across the globe.
Islamic Art – An African Interpretation is on exhibition at the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum, open from Mondays to Saturdays between 09h30 and 15h30, until 31 March 2022.
