The King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture (Ithra) and the Abdul Latif Alfozan Award for Mosque Architecture have announced the second edition of its Islamic Art Conference.
The cultural gathering will run from the 25th to the 30th of November. According to organisers, the event serves as a celebration and a global showcase of the heritage, living traditions, and emerging trends of Islamic arts and crafts from across the Arab world.
The week-long conference, titled “In Praise of the Artisan: A Reassessment of Contemporary Islamic Arts & Crafts Practice”, will explore the fascinating history of Islamic arts and crafts and how they deal with and enrich contemporary society.
The programme includes lectures, panel discussions, workshops, special exhibitions, film screenings, and demonstrations by Islamic craftspeople.
In conjunction with the opening of the conference, Ithra will inaugurate “In Praise of the Artisan,” an exhibition examining the history and diverse influences of Islamic arts and crafts across the globe.
It will include the largest hand-carved stone screen made since the Taj Mahal in the 17th century, along with eight specially commissioned works, a number of large installations, rare collectables and contemporary works by master craftspeople from across the Arab world, including the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Morocco, India, Spain, Egypt, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Malaysia.
