Qatar Museums will present “Fashioning an Empire: Materials from Safavid Iran”, a display highlighting a determination of exceptional materials from its collection, visible at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) from October 23 through April 20, 2024.
The exhibition, to be shown in MIA’s Sheik Saoud gallery, features the significance of silk in the energetic social, financial, and creative existence of the Safavid realm (1501-1736).
Fashioning an Empire: The idea for Textiles from Safavid Iran came from the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art in Washington, DC, where it was first shown as part of the Qatar-USA 2021 Year of Culture. The exhibition is part of Qatar Creates, a year-round national cultural movement that connects Qatar’s creative industries to residents and visitors from around the world and promotes, celebrates, and curates the country’s diverse cultural activities.
Expanding on the original concept of the Smithsonian-organized exhibition, the MIA curator Nicoletta Fazio oversaw the planning of Fashioning an Empire. The in excess of 100 deals with view, drawn from MIA and Qatar Exhibition halls’ long-lasting assortments as well as credits from the Qatar Public Library, incorporates a wide determination of curios, among them 20 valuable brocade silk materials and 12 floor coverings from the Safavid time frame.
These textiles were among the most desirable luxury commodities traded worldwide at the time, serving as powerful intermediaries for novel artistic concepts that sparked a new visual language. The display is additionally enhanced by a bunch of four full-length representations which give a brief look into the different populace that described the Safavid majestic capital.
For the showcase at MIA, the presentation’s story has been extended to incorporate another segment that embraces contemporary style plans. M7, Qatar’s focal point for development and business in style and configuration, has drawn in a gathering of nearby craftsmen to make pieces of clothing enlivened by the dazzling materials displayed in the presentation. This piece of the presentation is regulated by MIA custodian Tara Desjardins.
This show starts with a show of the geological and verifiable setting in which the domain’s ruler, Shah ‘Abbas I, laid out the silk syndication and state-subsidized material industry. The subsequent part centers around Isfahan, the capital at that point, and the domain’s commercial center. The third part investigates the craftsmanship and practices of self-portrayal in Safavid society through design, matching authentic materials with contemporary outlines and artistic creations. The fourth and last segment, Stylish, spans the past with the present, showing a choice of exceptionally dispatched pieces, articles of clothing, and satchels by Qatar-based originators motivated by Safavid materials from MIA’s assortment.
H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, Chairperson of the Qatar Museums, stated: The introduction of Molding a Realm in Washington, DC was an extraordinary feature of the Qatar-USA Long term of Culture, and a brilliant illustration of how social trade unites individuals and encourages common comprehension. Nothing might have been more fitting since social trade is the actual topic of this bounteously interesting display.
“We are now extremely proud to showcase magnificent works from the Qatar Museums collections and enhance their presentation in this enhanced exhibition for the enjoyment and education of our public in Qatar and our many visitors from around the world.”
MIA Chief, Dr. Julia Gonnella said: ” Molding a Realm: Textiles from the Safavid era in Iran shed light on a significant time in Iranian history when the country developed a distinct visual identity. Work of art beginning from Iran addresses the biggest holding in MIA’s assortment, and as of recently, we have not had the valuable chance to show a considerable lot of these pieces. Through the introduction of our assortment, we desire to extend the comprehension and appreciation for Islamic workmanship and show the immense variety of Islamic culture across the world.”
Forming a Domain: Materials from Safavid Iran opens only over one year since MIA’s resuming to the public following a broad offices improvement project that saw the reimagination and reinstallation of the historical center’s extremely durable assortment exhibitions. The reimagined MIA is the region’s first world-class museum and one of the world’s leading Islamic art institutions. It offers visitors an experience that is more approachable, engaging, and instructive. In addition to the masterpieces for which MIA has long been recognized, approximately 1,000 objects, many of which have only recently been conserved or acquired, are on display for the very first time in the permanent galleries of the museum.
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