The newest exhibition at the Daura Gallery highlights geometry in art and emphasizes the ongoing influence of Islamic art, science, and philosophy.
“Geometric Aljamía: a Cultural Transliteration” will open with a reception at 4 p.m. Tuesday, January 21. The curators, Reni Gower and Jorge Benitez, will attend the reception.
The exhibition includes numerous hand cut paper works — pieces of paper cut into geometric patterns, somewhat like a snowflake craft, but larger and more complex. Some are as large as 6’ by 4’. Hung off the wall by about an inch, the shapes cast intricate, intersecting shadows.
Other works in the show include sculpture and drawings representing Islamic architecture, such as Benitez’s “The Temple of Sensitivity.”
Dr. Barbara Rothermel, director of the Daura Gallery, said the exhibition demonstrates the way art speak across cultures, even those divided by war. “In this divisive age of conflict in the Middle East, it is important to acknowledge and appreciate the rich artistic and cultural heritage of Islam, as exemplified in this exhibition of contemporary art grounded in Islamic design,” she said.
“Aljamía” refers to the use of Arabic to write European languages, a form of transliteration. “Since ancient times, geometric perfection … has been thought to convey sacred and secular truths by reflecting the fractal interconnections of the natural world,” says a statement from the curators. The artists “explore geometry as a fundamental aspect of art and as a way to communicate universal ideas across cultures.”
It will be in the Daura Gallery through April 10.
For more information, email rothermel@lynchburg.edu.
