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Mihrab, Metaphorical Portal
Where
The Gallery
2425 Virginia Ave, NW
Washington, DC 20037
202.338.1958
Map
click here
When
Sep 14, 2012
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm
Mihrab: Metaphorical Portal
14 September — 26 October 2012
At The Jerusalem Fund Gallery
2012 ©Anne Barber-Shams
14 September — 26 October 2012
At The Jerusalem Fund Gallery
2012 ©Anne Barber-Shams
Opening
reception:
Friday, 14 September 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Friday, 14 September 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
In jewel-like
paintings steeped in the culture of the Golden Age of El-Andalus, Anne Barber –Shams explores the depths of the
mihrab and its significance in the three monotheistic cultures of
Andalusian Spain, pairing them with odes by Muslim, Christian and Jewish
poets of a period of understanding and peace.
Acrylic paintings on paper, embellished with gold leaf, study the evocative shapes of doorway, gate, arch and niche; literal architectural and metaphorical as a portal uniting the ancient common ground found during the Andalusian period, where for 700 years the three monotheistic cultures of Muslims, Christians and Jews intermingled and flourished, bringing forth architectural, artistic, scientific and scholarly riches. Barber-Shams pairs these paintings with nine odes by Muslim, Christian and Jewish poets of the period, calligraphed in metal leaf on marbleized Mylar. She sees the odes as seeds of peace created during a turbulent time, the Dark Ages of Northern Europe contemporaneous with the liberal cultural understanding of the Golden Age in the south.
Anne Barber-Shams studied at Bullseye Studio in Portland, Oregon, and Padua, Italy, as well as graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a BA in Art. She first became involved with the situation in Palestine in 2001, and has since participated in numerous solo and group shows, concentrating on the subjects of building bridges to peace through art.
Acrylic paintings on paper, embellished with gold leaf, study the evocative shapes of doorway, gate, arch and niche; literal architectural and metaphorical as a portal uniting the ancient common ground found during the Andalusian period, where for 700 years the three monotheistic cultures of Muslims, Christians and Jews intermingled and flourished, bringing forth architectural, artistic, scientific and scholarly riches. Barber-Shams pairs these paintings with nine odes by Muslim, Christian and Jewish poets of the period, calligraphed in metal leaf on marbleized Mylar. She sees the odes as seeds of peace created during a turbulent time, the Dark Ages of Northern Europe contemporaneous with the liberal cultural understanding of the Golden Age in the south.
Anne Barber-Shams studied at Bullseye Studio in Portland, Oregon, and Padua, Italy, as well as graduating from the University of California, Santa Barbara, with a BA in Art. She first became involved with the situation in Palestine in 2001, and has since participated in numerous solo and group shows, concentrating on the subjects of building bridges to peace through art.