London Museum Features Contemporary Islamic Art

June 17, 2006

Source: BBC News

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4987284.stm

On June 17, 2006 BBC News reported, " A new exhibition at the British Museum in London looks at contemporary art of the Islamic [w]orld. Word into Art - Artists of the Modern Middle East, focuses on the way artists are experimenting with different approaches to Arabic script. But the BBC's Vincent Dowd says you can also simply enjoy it as a useful guide to contemporary art in the Middle East. The British Museum is packed with objects from every era and from every part of the world... [that] attract almost five million visitors annually. But by and large the museum lacks bright colours and the public do not associate it with contemporary art. But from 18 May until 2 September the Word into Art exhibition is bringing the vibrancy of the Middle East and North Africa to the grey streets of Bloomsbury in London. Over 80 visual artists from today's Islamic world are represented, their birthplaces stretching from Iraq to Algeria. The unifying theme is how the artists have taken Arabic script and adapted it to their own needs on canvas and on the page."