Islam and art

CMSS actively engages artists locally and internationally to explore how art can provide a pathway to building community harmony and understanding across religious barriers.

We promote artistic endeavours and musical performances as part of this commitment. Below are some examples.

 

Music and Literature as a Conduit

The CMSS organises music events by inviting musicians and singers from different Muslim backgrounds. In the past we have collaborated with others such as Swan Festival of Lights and SalamFest.

Our past events included Sufi music singers from Pakistan to open a window to mystical poetry in Islam as well as a poetry competition on poetry by Faiz Ahmad Faiz.

Based on these activities, we plan to further expand the scope of such activities as they shift perceptions of Islam and Muslims and engage the wider community to activities at UWA.

 

Rekindling: Islamic Art

The CMSS secured a CAAR grant from the DFAT to take selected artists from around Australia to Morocco for training in traditional Islamic art. This was followed by a workshop in March 2019 at the Lawrence Wilson Art Gallery to disseminate the knowledge in the wider community. The training was provided by Tusif Ahmad, a papercutting artist, who previously exhibited his art in an exhibition jointly organized by the LWAG and CMSS.

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