From Qatar to New York City, the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art (IAIA) is giving NYC a glimpse of Islam beyond misconceptions.
The Institute of Arab and Islamic Art is an independent, non-profit museum that is the brainchild of Qatari national Sheikh Mohammed Rashid Al-Thani. Through the IAIA, Al-Thani hopes to promote and advance the artistic and cultural dialogue between New York City and the Arab and Islamic world.
However, the IAIA is in fact more than just an exhibition gallery. Al-Thani hopes that it would serve as a platform for creative, innovative and forward-thinking artists, curators, critics, scholars and intellectuals, where they can engage with a larger audience.
The idea came together after misconceptions of the Arab and Islamic world damaged cultural interaction and exchange between Islamic communities and the United States. And with no dedicated facilities for Arab and Islamic artists in the area, the cultural-gap kept growing, alienating the Islamic culture from the NYC art scene, according to their website.
In an interview with Doha News, Al-Thani said that IAIA will “challenge stereotypes and grant artist, curators and writers from the region an opportunity to engage with a broader audience.”
The space will host works such as video art, traditional medias, performances, archival exhibitions, installations, and commissioned works.
The institute promises to host between three to four temporary exhibitions a year, the first of which will be launched on May 3 and will have a special focus on Islamic architecture and geometry.
For those who are in the US or will be visiting, the Institute of Arab and Islamic Art can be found at 55 West 11th Street in New York City.
