Enchanted East: Dia Azzawi’s Carousel Unveiled at Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art

Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) has launched a whimsical carousel by one of the renowned pioneers of modern Arab art, Iraqi artist Dia Azzawi

The installation, titled ‘Enchanted East’ is the latest addition to MIA’s iconic collection of masterpieces and is held under the patronage of its Chairperson, Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The carousel features 40 bespoke animal seats inspired by the museums’ renowned permanent collection, drawing further inspiration from Islamic arabesque art, carpets and Arabic calligraphy.

Offering visitors to Qatar a unique experience to enrich their lives, Khalid Yousef Al Ibrahim, Consultant at Qatar Museums, states: “At Qatar Museums, we continue to deliver our promise of creating cultural experiences outside of our museum walls for everyone to interact with and enjoy.” He says,

“Art is all around us. With this iconic carousel now permanently housed at MIA park, everyone in Qatar can interact with art and culture as they go about their daily lives”

The carousel installation is launched ahead of a retrospective exhibition of the work of Dia Azzawi, which will showcase over 350 works across fifty years chronicling modernism and profiles the practice of the Iraqi artist. Featured in two parts, with each segment tracing a trajectory of the artist’s practice: one charting the relationship between image and text in Azzawi’s work, and the other following the artist’s engagement with significant moments in the political history of contemporary Iraq and the Arab world. – Nada Bokhowa

Dia Azzawi’s exhibition will launch at Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art and QM Gallery Al Riwaq in Doha, from 16 October, 2016 – April 16, 2017. For further information on Qatar’s Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) visit: www.mia.org.qa

Enable GingerCannot connect to Ginger Check your internet connection
or reload the browserDisable in this text fieldEditEdit in GingerEdit in Ginger×