Islamic Turner Prize opens at the Victoria and Albert Museum
Hamra Abbas and Hassan Hajjaj compete alongside seven other artists and designers in this groundbreaking exhibition founded by Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel
IT looks like a Moroccan-themed coffee bar - but this jolly little salon is in fact one of the first contenders for Islamic art's answer to the Turner Prize .
The installation, by London-based artist Hassan Hajjaj, goes on show at the Victoria & Albert Museum this week.
It shows how brands have invaded and been absorbed by traditional culture in Islamic countries.
Hajjaj is one of nine artists shortlisted for the inaugural Jameel Prize, funded by Saudi businessman Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel and run by the V&A to help raise awareness of the importance of Islamic art.
The first ever winner of the £25,000 cheque, to be awarded every two years, will be unveiled at a ceremony tomorrow (Tuesday) night.
The shortlisted works range from jewellery to photomontage, turned wood and screen prints.
A spokeswoman said: "They show how dynamic Islamic tradition can be, and how complex and eloquent the art and design inspired by this tradition has become."
Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel conceived the idea for the prize after providing the financial support for the renovation of the V&A’s Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art, which opened in July 2006.
The nine artists and designers are:
Hamra Abbas with a paper collage work, Please do not step: Loss of a Magnificent Story, using traditional Islamic patterning and laid out on the gallery floor.
Reza Abedini's has designed four posters using mixed calligraphy showing the human form.
Afruz Amighi’s 1001 Pages (2008) is a shadow piece where light is projected through a sheet of plastic with a complex hand-cut design.
Sevan Biçakçi is displaying five jewelled rings that reflect the life and architectural traditions of Ottoman Istanbul
British-Moroccan artist Hassan Hajjaj has created a site-specific installation called Le Salon, which shows how brands have invaded and been absorbed by traditional culture in an Islamic country.
Iranian Khosrow Hassanzadeh's acrylic and silk screen prints on canvas combine photography and Arabic script to evoke the challenge to the present from Iran’s 19th-century past.
Susan Hefuna's wood and ink on paper works are inspired by traditional mashrabiyyah screens from Egypt.
Seher Shah’s complex drawings - Black Cube Series II and Jihad Pop Progression 4 mix architectural and other references to the Islamic world and beyond.
Camille Zakharia’s Markings I and Markings II (2008) are photomontages printed on rag paper and reflect his experience of exile.
The Jameel Prize, 8 July-13 Sep, V&A, Cromwell Road, W7 2RL
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