CONTEMPORARY MUSLIM ART

February 16 - May 16 2024
Opening Reception: Friday, Feb 16, 6-9PM 

From February - May 2024, VAE will be exhibiting the work of contemporary Muslim artists in an exhibition that will center, support, and uplift Muslim artists in the Triangle. Through VAE’s open source and collaborative working model we seek to create an exhibition that not only brings awareness to the historical circumstances related to Muslim identity, but also celebrates the rich and diverse identities of Muslim people.

EXHIBITION STATEMENT

What does it mean to be a Contemporary Muslim Artist in the 21st century? These North Carolina based Muslim artists tackle this question head-on through their thoughtful works that bridge traditional aesthetics with the contemporary, telling their own stories and taking the narrative of what it means to be Muslim today into their own hands. In speaking with steering committee member and the founder of Artist Ummah, Kulsum Tasnif, she expressed the importance of this work for today’s audiences. She mentioned that after the events of September 11, 2001 many Muslim artists found comfort in their own circles after facing discrimination from the public, creating safe spaces within their own communities where they could rely on each other for support at such a turbulent time. Others became active outside Muslim spaces to dispel stereotypes, using art as a way to combat dehumanizing narratives perpetuated by the media. Twenty-three years later these communities are still dealing with decades of continued oppression and lack of visibility not only in the public, but also in the arts at large.

When work began on this project more than a year ago we did not fully understand the importance that this exhibition would carry and the uncanny timeliness of it, especially in regards to the ongoing conflict in Palestine. Through centering these artists and allowing them to take over VAE’s gallery space, we seek to present an exhibition that not only brings awareness to the historical circumstances related to Muslim identity, but also celebrates the rich and diverse identities of Muslim people from the river to the sea, and beyond. This exhibition would not have been possible without the help and continued guidance of our wonderful steering committee members - Lela Ali, Rakan DiarBakerli, Waad Husein, and Kulsum Tasnif; or without the participation of the incredible artists that are allowing us to share their work, many of which have never publicly exhibited their work before. VAE is honored to present Contemporary Muslim Art of North Carolina to you and we hope that when you experience the exhibition you can take away just how radical and crucial community has the power to be.

This exhibition was funded with a Community Spotlight Grant provided by the United Arts Council of Raleigh and Wake County.

ARTISTS

  • Selina Akter

  • Munzer Al Azzeh

  • Alina Azeem

  • Hiba Chohan

  • Arvid Choudhury

  • Rakan DiarBakerli

  • Sara Gamaleldin

  • Maya Ghanem

  • Allia Heikal

  • Hanadi Ibrahim

  • Hanane Jamili

  • Hasham Malik

  • Nabeelah Mu'min

  • Erza Satici

  • Karim Shahin

  • Nisrin Shahin

  • Morgan Thompson

  • Artist Ummah

PROGRAMS

Tuesday, April 30, 6:00 - 7:30PM

Artist Talk with Artist Ummah, Allia Mahmoud Heikal, and Arvid Choudhury

Tuesday, May 14, 6:00 - 7:30PM

Artist Talk with Rakan DiarBakerli, Maya Ghanem, Hanae Jamili, and Erza Satici

DATE TBD

STEERING COMMITTEE

Lela Ali (she/her)

Lela Ali is the Co-Founder and Program and Policy Director at Muslim Women For, a Muslim women-led and serving grassroots organization based in NC. Muslim Women For organizes Muslim, Black, Brown, and immigrant communities to build political power through political education, advocacy, and local organizing. Lela also serves as a Regional Southern State Advisor at Movement Voter Project, where she is working as a main liaison with local groups in top battleground states like NC and GA, assessing the organizing, donor and political landscape, and advocating for resources to build sustainable long-term progressive power. Lela is a graduate of Duke University where she received her Master’s in International Development Policy and Middle East Studies. Her research focused on social network analyses of local Muslim-American led networks in the south.

Waad Husein (she/her)

Waad Husein is a Sudanese-American artist and designer. She enjoys experimenting with a variety of mediums such as photography, illustration and collage. Her work explores the visual rhythms of being a third culture kid, architecture and nostalgia. Waad is a co-founder of Tabadul Collective, an arts organizing group rooted in exploring identity and creativity.

Rakan DiarBakerli (he/him)

Rakan is currently working at the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University after 10 years of teaching science in the classroom. He is passionate about cultural learning, exploration of the natural world, gaming, and visual storytelling. Any opportunity he finds disposable income, it goes straight to finding his next adventure in a land he has never been. He hopes to immerse himself in new cultures, languages, and food with people he has never met before!

Kulsum Tasnif (she/her)

Kulsum Tasnif is a mixed media artist who uses a wide range of techniques and approaches, much of which deal with social issues and the way they affect the Muslim-American community to which she belongs. Her current exhibit, “Backpacking Method,” is a multi-sensory public art project for Raleigh Stories (a public art project supported by Raleigh Arts) which celebrates diverse communities of Method Road by memorializing their legacies. In January 2023, Kulsum founded Artist Ummah, a non-profit cultural arts organization for the Triangle Muslim-American community and beyond. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for VAE Raleigh.