Overcoming religious prejudice by seeing artistic beauty

DAILY SABAH
By Vana Stellou

The Benaki Museum of Islamic Art

Ignorance is the root of all delusions and is thus the source of all fears. The most effective weapon against ignorance is education and, as Mark Twain said, "Education consists mainly of what we have learned." The same thing applies to religion. It is unawareness and lack of respect regarding religious values and views that leads to accusations of Islam being linked to terrorism. Instead of blaming Islam, it would be useful and is more important than ever, to try to depict Islam in a positive manner and show the beauty behind the religion and the huge accomplishments Muslim empires have been able to achieve in history. The two main reasons that have led to the widespread, stereotypical acceptance of this religious community are: a) systematic one-sided portrayal and b) ignorance of the richness of the polymorphic Islamic culture. [More]

Christie's Buddhist bronzes at auction

ARTDAILY


Christie's: "Indian, Himalayan and Southeast Asian Works of Art," September 13, 2017, New York City

Artists resign from President Trump's Committee on the Arts & Humanities

ARTNET NEWS
By Nate Freeman

WASHINGTON, DC---Yesterday morning, the Washington Post reported that many of the remaining members of the White House Committee on the Arts and Humanities have announced their resignation. In a letter to the president, 16 actors, artists, writers, and architects said that they could no longer stay in their positions following the president’s “support of the hate groups and terrorists who killed and injured fellow Americans in Charlottesville.” The full letter is below. [More]

Maverick artist Cy Gavin painted his own way from Bermuda to the Rubell Foundation

ARTNET NEWS
By Terence Trouillot

Cy Gavin in his studio. Image courtesy the artist.

NEW YORK---He’s a rising star now, but the young Cy Gavin never thought he would become an artist. Now Gavin has two sold-out solo exhibitions at Sargent’s Daughters under his belt, one in 2015 and one 2016, and is featured currently at the Rubell Foundation in Miami. He draws inspiration from Bermuda, the homeland of his father, and a place the artist has often visited to conduct research on his family’s history. His art incorporates the country’s flora and fauna, as well as its complicated history as a pivotal site during the transatlantic slave trade, and as the first island in the Atlantic to attract wealthy American tourists seeking an alternative to summers in Europe during in the 1920s. [More]