Musulmanes, Musulmans au Caire, a Teheran, Istanbul, Paris, Dakar.

Musulmanes, Musulmans au Caire, a Teheran, Istanbul, Paris, Dakar

Parc de la Villette Pavillon Paul Delouvrier Paris, France May 19-November 14, 2004

Urban Islam

Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen (KIT) Tropenmuseum Amsterdam, The Netherlands December 12, 2003-September 12, 2004

It is perhaps no coincidence that exhibitions exploring various cosmopolitan aspects of Muslim identity recently ran in two European cities. Both focus on five cities, including the city of exhibition, and both focus on the contemporary, specifically the experience of being young, modern, and Muslim in a post-9/11 world. (1) There are many similarities between the two exhibitions. Most points of divergence reflect differences in the museums sponsoring the shows and differing social positions of Muslims in the countries where the exhibitions were held. While the Amsterdam exhibit set out to enter into current public debates about Muslim immigrants in Dutch society, the Paris exhibit was more concerned with ongoing debates in French society about delinking Muslim identity from specific religious practices. And, while the Amsterdam curators drew on the extensive colonial collections of the Tropenmuseum, in Paris, aside from an illuminated Koran displayed at the beginning of the exhibit, all objects, photographs, and videos were less than twenty years old and created by prominent contemporary artists with close links to the cities represented. The Tropenmuseum's "Urban Islam" seemed less interested in highlighting the work of particular artists, and several objects were displayed without labels or with labels that did not identify the artist. While such omissions are not entirely surprising in an ethnographic museum like the Tropenmuseum, one might expect more from an institution that has a good reputation for curating contemporary art. (2) Overall, however, both exhibits were excellent and both left the visitor with more questions than answers about the widely diverse experiences of being Muslim in increasingly globalized urban spaces.

Mirjam Shatanawi and Deniz Unsal, the Amsterdam curators, wanted "to present a new perspective on Muslim religious life" that was "neither pedantic nor apologetic" at a time "when public opinion and common knowledge of Islam were quite limitedly and negatively defined" (Shatanawi and Onsal 2004:44). Such an aim makes sense given current Dutch trends toward silencing overt "political correctness" in regards to Islam. Yolande Bacot, the director of exhibitions at the Parc de la Villette, reported that the aim of "Musulmanes, Musulmans" was to explore "post-Islamic identities" by focusing on the culture of Islam as embedded in practice rather than on dogmatic religious interpretations. (3) To this end, the exhibit presents a diverse range of practices that are deemed "Islamic," despite the fact that many such practices are imbedded in local customs rather than stipulated by Islamic texts. The underriding theme seems to be that Islam can be adjusted to fit local contexts, including Parisian ones.

Though both exhibitions were concerned with contributing to current debates on Islam in their own societies, "Urban Islam" seemed more interested in educating people about the basic religious tenets of Islam, while also demonstrating the diversity of Islamic practices in the world today. Using slightly different tactics, "Musulmanes, Musulmans" tried to sever any direct relationship between the religion of Islam and the diverse cultural practices of individual Muslims and made little attempt to educate visitors about any basic, shared tenets of Islam or the history of the Islamic religion.

"Urban Islam" included the cities of Amsterdam, Marrakech, Paramaribo, Istanbul, and Dakar. (4) Clearly, much attention was given to the design and layout of the exhibition space. (5) Upon entering the museum, the visitor was given a postcard with a barcode that could be scanned in the Amsterdam section of the exhibition to access an interactive survey (in Dutch only). The barcode also allowed one to continue the survey through the exhibition's excellent Internet site, in English and Dutch (www.urbanislam.nl).

Just past the ticket desk was a double-sided mural, approximately 10' x 15' (3m x 4.5m), painted by Senegalese mural painter Papisto Boy, who completed the work in residence during the opening week of the exhibition. (6) The bright yellow marquees with hot pink text that guided the visitor through the show were impossible to miss. The first one offered an account of the front side of Papisto Boy's mural, which depicts the continent of Africa flanked by Sheikh Amadou Bamba (1853-1927), the mystical saint whose teachings and life provide inspiration for Mourides, one of four principle Sufi paths practiced in Senegal. (7) At the center of the African continent is a door framing a ship representing both slavery and a link to the Americas. This is confirmed on the other side of the mural, where the doorway opens onto a giant mural of Bob Marley and Che Guevara. (8) The mural's location amid the ticket desk, information counter, and coat check made it easy to miss on the way to the exhibition, which was located upstairs on the first of the Tropenmuseum's three floors of exhibition space. A yellow carpet led the way from the top of the stairs to the exhibit, which was situated in the main hall of the museum and enclosed by 10' (3m) walls reminiscent of a medieval medina. Photographs by an artist from each of the four foreign cities were displayed on the outside of the walls, along with a too-brief photographic history of Islam in the Netherlands from the days of the Dutch East India Company to the present. Towering several stories above the walls at the center of the exhibit was fantastical simulacrum of a mosque, which served as the center of the exhibition. To get inside of the mosque-like structure, one followed the yellow carpet through an opening in the walls, which was flanked by stadium-type seating (built into the walls) used for public lectures and as a vantage point to look down into the exhibition. (9) The door to the mosque was framed by two glass cases, one containing references to Mohammed--a Turkish calligraphic ceramic plaque (2002), a Tunisian reverse glass painting of Mohammed's winged steed Al-Burak (2002), and a stunning nineteenth century Indian statue of Al-Burak on loan from the National Museum in Copenhagen and--the other references to Allah--a matching Turkish calligraphic ceramic plaque (2002), a pre-Islamic altar from Yemen (suggesting an antecedent to Allah), and another Tunisian reverse glass painting (2002), this one entirely calligraphic. All labels were in Dutch and English. Inside the mosque were a series of enclosed glass cases containing objects from the museum's vast collection to illustrate the history of Islam. Highlights included a fourteenth century page from an Egyptian Koran in Kufic script and four eighteenth century Iranian leather pages from the Book of Divination. Also of interest was an illuminated Ottoman Koran dated to 1698, on loan from the ethnographic museum in Leiden. Prayer rugs and beads were displayed, along with several recent examples of Tunisian reverse glass painting illustrating stories from the Koran. Glass cases positioned on the outside walls of the mosque explained the Five Pillars of Islam.

Radiating from the central structure, like the communities that might surround a mosque in real life, were spaces for each of the five cities. Visitors had to wend and weave their way around corners and curves to reach the various spaces, which once again invoked the trope of the medieval city. This feeling was enhanced by the cacophony of sounds that emanated from various video and music installations, as well as by the overwhelming number of images, literally plastered across the walls and columns that divided the internal spaces. Visitors were introduced to each city through a video of a young person who offered personal views about what it means to be Muslim (most videos are subtitled in both Dutch and English). The exhibition space was then used to bring their individual commentaries to life. For instance Farina, a twenty-one-year-old student from Paramaribo, tells us, "I'm a Muslim in a multi-religious society. I think we Surinamese concentrate on the similarities more than the differences," while Hanane, a twenty-year-old student from Marrakech, says, "I'm a modern Muslim. For me that means that I'm open-minded, open to the world, to new things and different cultures, although not forgetting my religion ... Here in Morocco, everyone has their own way of being Muslim ... My favorite film star is Brad Pitt. If he were a Muslim, I'd marry him." To illuminate these comments, objects reflecting the practices of diverse religions, including Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, and Winti, were highlighted in the Paramaribo section, while in Marrakech, the importance of international media influences including film, satellite television, and fashion magazines were stressed. The young people addressed issues familiar from public debates in the West. For instance, Hanane discusses her decision to wear a headscarf and informs the visitor that Islamic women have more rights and are more respected than Western women. Her views were complicated, however, through an ingenious exhibit that invited the visitor to pick up a mobile telephone to listen to a conversation between Hanane and her best friend, who cautioned Hanane about wearing a headscarf, telling her she might be treated negatively in school for doing so.

Amsterdam, the final city explored in the exhibition, is represented solely through the public debate forum discussed above. Enclosed, stadium-style seating was situated behind the mosque, where visitors were invited to listen to the views of selected Amsterdammers (Muslim and non-Muslim) on current public debates relating to Muslims (veiling, the rights of women, equality, tolerance, terrorism, etc.) and then to vote for particular views by pressing a button. Results of the survey were available immediately on site and also online. Though there was great potential for interactive participation in this section, it seemed that many visitors were confused, while others had lost their barcode by the time they got to the end of the exhibition.

The four foreign city sections offered much in terms of insight, but unfortunately for art lovers, little in terms of art. The most interesting objects were located in the Dakar section, including three reverse glass paintings by Bubacar Lo that highlight important events in Bamba's life; five oil paintings of Mouride marabouts by Assane Dione, which were displayed behind sheer fabric; and an outstanding painting by Elimane Fall incorporating lyrics from the favorite song of Alioune, the young man who featured in the Dakar section. Though there was a general lack of art objects, the exhibition was a work of art in itself.

By contrast, "Musulmanes, Musulmans," curated by Olivier Roy and Valerie Amiraus, had much to offer for lovers of contemporary art, both African and Middle Eastern. The cities covered in the exhibition were Cairo, Teheran, Istanbul, Dakar, and Paris. The exhibition was also expertly designed. (10) Even before entering the gallery one could hear the sounds of Muslim culture, which were broadcast from five pillars positioned outside of the door. A map at the entrance highlighted Muslim communities around the globe and visitors were encouraged to begin the exhibition with an introductory video (all videos and labels were in French). The space for each city was divided in two by a meandering path extending from Cario to Dakar. On the right were small gallery spaces, uniquely divided for the display of photographs, paintings, and sculptures, and to the left were small screening rooms, each decorated in a style reflective of the city it was meant to represent. On the walls to the left of the path were calligraphic inscriptions naming each city and to the right were extensive labels that provided background information for each city.

Unlike the Amsterdam exhibition, which tried to find voices to represent the "everyman" in each city, the Paris show invited artists to speak on behalf of their cultures. Twenty-one video documentaries by twenty-two different videographers from the five cities make up a large component of the show. The Cairo screening room was draped in the colorful tapestries commonly used in Cairene streets to cordon off space for weddings and funerals, while in Istanbul viewers were invited to recline like pashas on low divans positioned along the walls.

Though the videos covered many topics and offered much diversity, veiling was a topic that seemed to keep resurfacing. One, A propos ... des garcons, des filles et du voile, by Yousry Nasralla, presented numerous and contested views on veiling in Cairo. This film did indeed seem particularly apropos given how important the subject of veiling has become in public debates in France, where girls have been forbidden to wear veils in public schools. Veiling came back again in Teheran, Istanbul and, most poignantly, in Paris, where Paris-born, London-based artist Zineb Sedira's photographic triptych, Self Portrait or the Virgin Mary (2000), hauntingly depicted someone (the artist?) veiled from head to toe in white cloth against a white backdrop.

As in Amsterdam, the host city in "Musulmanes, Musulmans" was given slightly different treatment. While objects on display in the four foreign cities demonstrated the specificities of each in regard to history, geography, and politics, the Parisian section focused on diversity within Paris's Muslim community, which was attributed to colonialism, immigration, and globalization. Parisian diversity was represented by more than forty photographs by Patrick Zachman that depicted Muslims engaged in aspects of everyday life. Though some of these photos are extraordinary, particularly the eight portraits of Afro-Parisians dressed in various West African garments, the approach led to one of the few oversights in the exhibition, namely, the assumption that Muslim communities in the other cities were somehow less diverse, or at least that their diversity was a less important factor than in Paris. As major metropolises and sites of colonial contestation, all five cities, including Paris, share similarly complex histories. After all, one could just as easily go to Cairo and photograph Muslims from Sudan, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the Maghreb, and beyond.

Though the exhibition labels do sometimes fail to mention the diversity of practices found in each of the foreign cities, for the most part, the artists do not. An extraordinary photo series by Nabil Boutros demonstrates the ways Cairo continues to expand and change in the face of globalization and Americanization. Her photographs of middle-class life in the suburb of Heliopolis; of the Dreamland mosque, built to serve one of Cairo's new gated communities (Fig. 4); and of a downtown shopping mall draw attention to emerging differences between Cairo's center and its expanding peripheries in terms of both geography and class. Dominating the Cairo exhibition space was a three-part installation by Ahmed Askalany that juxtaposed life-size supplicant Sufis, woven basketlike from palm fronds, with two other elements meant to suggest instruments of torture known as khazouk. An accompanying label quotes Askalany, who says he was inspired by a Koranic verse: "Allah, protect us from evil that comes from below and above." People are either beaten from above with the torture devices he depicts or are made to sit on them; prayer often provides victims with their only protection. The complex symbolism also referred to 9/11, when the attacks came from above. In such times, the artist informs us, it is human nature to turn to God, regardless of one's religion.

[FIGURE 4 OMITTED]

Between the first exhibition space, devoted to Cairo, and the last, devoted to Dakar, are exceptional works of art from Teheran and Istanbul, but as this is a journal devoted to African arts, they will not be discussed in this review.

As in Amsterdam, the Mouride way was given prominence in the exhibit, and one might be forgiven for thinking that "all Muslims," to quote from Alioune, the young man from Senegal showcased in Amsterdam, "are Mourides." Although museum labels discuss the four different Sufi brotherhoods in Senegal and all are illustrated in reverse glass paintings, Mouride art holds sway. Again, there was a mural by Papisto Boy, though in this case an accompanying video showed him painting and describing the mural. Also included were two extraordinary paintings by Moussa Tine and four sculptures by the late Moustafa Dime. Dime's La Grande Dans (1995) was at the center of the Dakar section, while three windows in the back wall poetically framed two more of his sculptures, incorporating Koranic prayer boards, metal spears, and triangular figures meant to signify the presence of God, as well as two recent (2002) collages by Tine from the Rhythm Baye Fall series (see Roberts and Roberts 2003, especially chapter 8; 2002:70-73).

Overall, "Musulmanes, Musulmans" was an outstanding exhibition, highlighting extraordinary works by extraordinary Muslim artists. While it may not have had the same pedagogic and "voice of the people" qualities as "Urban Islam," it more than made up for it in the beauty it offered visitors.

Accompanying the exhibition is a catalogue with the same title as the show (in French, 131 pp.), available through the museum. The exhibition marks the fourth in a series titled "Un Monde Fait de Tousles Mondes', and follows others devoted to the arts of Africa ("Mali Kow"), Latin America ("Indiens, Chiapas > Mexico > Californie"), and Europe ("Lisbonne / Lisboa").

(1.) Although planning for both exhibitions began prior to September 11, 2001, both also changed in response to the events that occurred on that date.

(2.) It should be noted that all labels did contain acquisition numbers and that the Tropenmuseum's facilities include a "knowledge center" where museum visitors are invited to access a computer database that contains information about museum objects based on acquisition number. In most cases this includes information about artists.

(3.) Interview with Yolande Bacot (July 8, 2004).

(4.) One is also able to access information about Yogyakarta, Indonesia, from the website, though the city is not covered in the exhibition.

(5.) The Dutch firm Traast and Gruson was responsible for the design of "Urban Islam."

(6.) Papisto Boy's official name is Pape Mamadou Samb.

(7.) See Roberts and Roberts 2002, 2003 for more on Mourides in Senegal.

(8.) Though no effort is made to explain Marley's or Guevara's link to Islam in the exhibit, Roberts and Roberts, discussing Papisto Boy's work, have noted that the artist has portrayed the former as a Baye Fall, or disciple of Sheikh Ibra Fall, Barnba's most devout servant, and have also quoted Papisto Boy as saying that Guevara is important because he was a great warrior (2003:119,129).

(9.) From this vantage point, one is reminded of Timothy Mitchell's argument in "Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Other" that Westerners are always striving to find an all encompassing view of the Middle Eastern city (1995:305).

(10.) "Musulmanes, Musulmans" was designed by Patrick Bouchain and Katia Samari.

References cited

Mitchell, Timothy. 1995. "Orientalism and the Exhibitionary Other." In Colonialism and Culture, edited by Nicholas Dirks, pp. 289-318. Alan Arbor: University of Michigan Press.

Roberts, Allen F. and Mary Nooter Roberts. 2003. A Saint in the City: Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal. Los Angeles: UCLA Fowler Museum of Cultural History.

--. 2002. "A Saint in the City: Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal (Exhibition Preview)." African Arts 35, 4:52-73.

Shatanawi, Mirjam and Denis Unsal. 2004. "Urban Islam: Rethinking the Familiar." ISIM Newsletter 14:44.