As interest in Islamic arts started growing around the world, Malaysia became home to Southeast Asia’s largest museum dedicated to it in December 1998. The 30,000-square-metre building is located amid verdant surroundings of central Kuala Lumpur’s Lake Gardens.
The Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia houses more than 7,000 artefacts and has an exceptional library of books on the subject. The objects on display range from the tiniest pieces of jewellery to one of the world’s largest scale models of the Masjid Al Haram in Makkah. Besides having artefacts from Iran and the Middle East, IAMM puts emphasis on Asia, with China, Southeast Asia and India being accorded a special status. Other parts of the collection are displayed according to type rather than geographical origins in the museum’s 12 galleries.
Recently, the IAMM in collaboration with the Sharjah Museums Department, organised the exhibition “Rhythm and Verses — Persian Calligraphy from the Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia”, which presents 38 single-page pieces of calligraphy from the 16th to the 19th century. This was the first time these ornate compositions were exhibited in the UAE.
Dr Heba Nayel Barakat, IAMM’s head of Curatorial Affairs, spoke to Weekend Review about the museum and its projects. Excerpts:
How big is IAMM’s collection of paintings, calligraphy and other Islamic artefacts?
When it started, we only had a few artefacts. The government entrusted us with some that are considered Islamic art — mainly Jowee manuscripts from Southeast Asia. Today we have on display 1,500 pieces and another 15,000 in our storeroom. We have collected art from various parts of the Islamic world since our inception — from the Middle East to Iran to the Indian subcontinent, Southeast Asia and China.
It is the biggest museum in Southeast Asia dedicated to the art of the Islamic world ... We have collected and presented some of the most important and oldest art objects from the Islamic world to Southeast Asia. Anyone who is studying or is interested in art from the Islamic world can visit the museum and enjoy our collection.
Tell us about the visitors to the museum.
In general about 10,000 people visit the museum every month. We recently introduced a system with entrance tickets enables us to know whether the visitor is Malaysian or foreigner, or to which age group he belongs. Accordingly, we were able to collect statistics that guide us in presenting exhibitions and understanding our visitors.
Which museums do you buy or borrow Islamic artefacts from?
It is very important to collaborate and cooperate with international museums. We have actually had a lot of work with the UK, we had a joint exhibition with the British museum early on.
There’s the Louvre and Doha museum.
Yes, but we have not yet worked with Paris or Qatar apart from collaborating with the Qatar museum in the annual Hamad Bin Khalifa symposium. Recently, we presented our collection of contemporary Islamic calligraphy. One of the new approaches we are thinking about is to look into what is contemporary Islamic art, not just art from the time of the Umayyads and Abbasids.
Perhaps you could collaborate with the Sharjah museum?
Yes, we would. About a year ago, we attended a workshop here that relates two aspects — language and museology. That led to more collaborations, and this exhibition would be a fruit of this collaboration. Our exhibition on calligraphy was also an approach. It is important for both sides to join forces and highlight the beauty of Islamic art and help each other to interact more with the scholarly world.
Is IAMM a private museum or governmental?
It was started as a joint venture between the Malaysian government and the Al Bukhari Foundation. The Al Bukhari Foundation was granted a piece of land by the government and some artefacts belonging to the government. The Foundation built the premises into a museum.
What has been your role at the museum?
I started as a junior curator 12 or 13 years ago, and in due time I became the head curator and held other bigger posts.
You are of Egyptian descent. How did you come to live in Malaysia?
Actually I am specialised in Islamic arts and artefacts. I did my BA from the American University in Cairo and MA from the Middle East Technical University in Cairo. I also have a PhD from the Oriental institute in Russia. When I was in Russia, I worked in museums and was fortunate to visit Malaysia, where I was introduced to the director of IAMM. He invited me to join the museum. I started working part-time, and as time passed, I started spending more time in Kuala Lumpur and produce work for IAMM in the form of catalogues, exhibitions, guided tours. I also took chapters of the museum to other parts of the world, and there is one of them in Sharjah.
What special exhibitions does the museum organise?
We have two types of exhibitions. One is artefact-based in which we collect the items and identify similar ones in other museums, thus creating collaborations and requesting the museums to send in those objects. Then we develop a topic, research it and present it in our exhibition space. The other type is the photo exhibition in which we welcome cooperation from embassies, photographers and organisations. We recently had a photo exhibition of Muslims in Venezuela. It was very interesting as not many know about Muslims and Islamic arts in Venezuela or Latin America. This space or open gallery expands our knowledge and vision, bringing people together in a way in which we get to know them and they get to know us.
We have worked with the Alexandria library because they also have opened their galleries for us for manuscripts and single folios. We also had a collaboration with Syria some seven or eight years ago. We are anticipating some more work in the future. Although our presence in the Gulf is little, but we feel that Sharjah is a start. Sharjah is the capital of Islamic culture and civilisation and it is a big move for us. We are happy to be in Sharjah and we feel that this would open up more collaboration with the UAE and maybe other countries as well.
What are your views on the Islamic Art Museum in Canada?
I had gone to direct it; there is a friend of mine over there and I met him. It is really huge and very modern. When the collections of Aga Khan were going around the world before they finished the museum, we invited them to the Islamic Arts Museum in Malaysia. We have had a beautiful exhibition and Aga Khan himself visited. We quite enjoyed his presence and collaboration with Malaysian community. Malaysia is a multi-cultural and multi-religious society and this collaboration resulted in such kinds of exhibitions. We were very happy to have the Toronto collections at IAMM.
What new projects do you have now?
We now have a very important and huge project. It is the refurbishment of the Islamic gallery at the British Museum. The Al Bukhari Foundation decided to fund the project and accordingly, this gallery at the heart of the British Museum will be called the Al Bukhari Foundation Gallery for Islamic Art. A part of this collaboration is the launching exhibition, the gallery design and the training between our curatorial staff and their curatorial staff.
Are Arab countries serious about setting up an Islamic museum or are they neglecting the idea?
Our countries have been home to so many civilisations over the ages. When I look at each Arab country, I understand that there is so much to show about their culture and heritage — not just the past, but also contemporary. Islamic art is not a thing of the past, but something that is still alive and moving. It is a part of our identity, so if I produce any art, it will be influenced by Islam and Islamic art one way or another.
Do Arab countries spend on this aspect? For example, the Louvre has a large section dedicated to Islamic art.
What I have learnt from history is that we always witness cycles. There are peaks and falls, and the cycles continue.
What do you think of Daesh’s (the self-proclaimed Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) destruction of monuments?
It is extremely unfortunate. The destruction of monuments takes away a part of us. It takes away a part of our identity. But we do try to do things to preserve our heritage. One is we document them and the other is safeguard these monuments. The IAMM is now preparing an exhibition with the Red Cross to highlight the importance of the monuments in Iraq, Yemen and Libya among others. We have started research on it. A part of our mission is to highlight the destruction and to present before-and-after images, so people don’t forget how things were. Some of these sites were very beautiful and well-organised. If everyone does his or her part — as we are trying to highlight the destruction of monuments — in due time people will realise how important it is and maybe things will change. Insh’Allah.
Shakir Noori is a Dubai-based journalist and author.
