This week, Colin and I FINALLY made it to the
BYU Beauty and Belief exhibit. We have been wanting to go since the opening in February, and we only just now made it on the very last day that it was open. The exhibit is a glimpse at different Islamic art through time. Before coming to this exhibit, the only thing I knew about Islamic art was the very little that had gleaned from conversations with others, art history classes, and one awesome world religions class I took from
Alonzo Gaskill (which I highly recommend to anyone currently attending BYU). Since I didn’t know much about the subject to begin with, the whole visit was very enlightening to me. Here are some of the thoughts I had as I walked through:
Cultures are less isolated than we think
One of the things that struck me the most about this exhibit was how much Islam got around. For example, this
griffin above, used to be on a cathedral in Pisa. You could also see pieces that were created for other faiths by Muslim artists, such as a Jewish Torah curtain, that hung in an Egyptian temple, but was made by Muslim craftsman. We saw rugs and pottery from all parts of the world world where you could see different cultures borrowing each others art languages and remixing them. Some of the ancient artifacts felt very modern that way. I’m sure conquering and looting was a big part of the cultural amalgamations that you see, but I like to think there were times of collaboration as well.
Spiritual mindfulness can be integrated into everyday living
You cant look at a room full of Islamic art and not be struck by the calligraphy. I thought it as interesting that even very common every day objects were inscribed with beautiful calligraphy, that was often relevant to the object is was inscribed on. I remember one bowl in particular that was inscribed with calligraphy about health and sickness, and was thought to bring health when you drank from it. There was the one pin or broach I remember being totally in awe of because the filigree work had interlaced holes smaller than pinpricks. So many of the pieces had a meditative attention to detail that gave me a sense of rhythm, ritual, and reverence.
Words have power
One of my favorite parts of the exhibit was the “The Ninety-Nine Names of God.” Each of the screens displayed one of names, first in Arabic, and then in English. From what I read, it seems that in Islam, the names of God are infinite, but there are only 99 known names. I remember a powerful feeling of reverence as I read:
As-Salam, The Source of Peace and Safety,
Al-Muhaymin, The Guardian,
Al-Gaffar, The Repeatedly Forgiving,
Ar-Raqīb, The Watchful,
Al-Muʿīd, The Restorer, The Reinstater Who Brings Back All,
Al-Muḥyī, The Giver of Life.
I also read about an Islamic principle of
Ghayb and
Hadhir (had to do a brief google-ing to bring this to memory) or the seen and unseen or present. There seemed to be an allusion to the unseen or spiritual principle in all of the art I saw. It was like a reminder of humility. Here are the ninety-nine known names, but don’t forget, there’s more that you don’t know. Here is an infinitely repeatable pattern, but don’t forget, you can only see to the edge of the bowl it’s printed on. Here are images of fantastic creatures, but don’t forget, God can create anything.
Mutual respect is not only possible, it’s vital
I was reading this article about the exhibit, and was impressed by this quote:
“In light of a recent outrage in Afghanistan after several Qurans accidentally were burned at a U.S. military base there, Magleby says he was impressed by the intense respect the BYU staff showed the artifact.
‘The contrast of the outrage over the burning of Qurans in Afghanistan and how differently we were respecting a Quran in a deteriorating state seemed to be very poignant,’ Magleby says, his voice choking with emotion. ‘We wanted them to see the respect the people of a disparate culture can have for Islamic culture.’
Many items in the exhibit showcase eras when Muslim, Christian and Jewish scholars and artists flourished peacefully in cities in the Middle East, including Baghdad. Other works are Christian and Jewish religious artifacts produced by Muslim artists…
‘We want to re-create that kind of reciprocity between cultures here,’ Magleby says. ‘We know that is not the case in the world right now. But a Mormon university hosting this exhibit and finding the resonance, the appreciation and the awe for the art of the Islamic world — we think that reproduces that late medieval moment in Baghdad.’”
I’ll never forget one lesson I had at BYU where the professor said that he owned a copy of the Qur’an, and he would no more let that
book touch the ground than he would allow someone to use his Book of Mormon as a beer coaster. That’s just not respectful (apparently that was even before he joined the LDS church). He said, that to someone, that is the word of God. It’s precious. We should show it respect because the people who love that book our God’s children and our brothers and sisters.
If you’re looking to bring peace into the world, I think a little basic respect is a good place to start.
