Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park Essay

Introduction

I visited Albin Polasek Museum and Sculpture Gardens in Winter Park for an exhibition dubbed Arabesque: Contemporary Conversations, which uses the contemporary artists' eyes to construe traditional Islamic arts purposefully. The exhibit comprised of a combination of artworks such as paintings, photographs, sculptures, and so on that were submitted through an open call to various artists as well as local private collections. It is worthy to note that the open call requested artists to provide contemporary interpretation of arabesque art's ancient style, which traditionally encompassed interlacing geometric lines and natural elements that are impeccably repeated. Several artists from Israel, Bulgaria, Iran, Puerto Rico, Canada, Russia, and the US submitted multi-faceted works in this exhibit. The local Jhaveri family owned the private collection, whose origin is Pakistan and featured works and miniatures from acclaimed artists such as Hadia Moiz, Babar Gull, and Abrar Ahmed.

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Detailed Description of Just a Peek: Intersection

While at the exhibition, one piece of art that I found intriguing was Just a Peek: Intersection, a photograph, by Ameena Khan, a Florida-based artist. The piece of art is hidden behind a veil and signifies American-Muslim women as far as their belief are concerned. Khan got inspiration to develop this piece of art from several quotes by Muslim women from the US about their faith. The artwork, Just a Peek: Intersection aims at highlighting the plight of a lesbian American-Muslim woman whose partner married a man due to religious pressure. The art comprised of a window with black frames and a flowered curtain on it. The photograph by Khan is a genius piece that is truly symbolic. It is vital to note that the curtain that Khan selected for the photograph is designed with Islamic flower calligraphy that represents Muslim women who have to bow out of her wishes and preferences due to the demands of their religion.

Critique of the Exhibition

A visit to the Albin Polasek Museum gave me a different perspective on how to appreciate arts, particularly arabesque, Islamic arts. These pieces of art were neatly displayed and arranged such that all of them had enough space. Each art had a price tag, a title, an artist's name, and a brief description of the inspiration behind it. The museum had supportive staff members who inducted me as well as answering my questions regarding various arts satisfactorily. The museum had various Islamic arts made from different media displayed for viewers to either buy or see. Some of the pieces of arts that I saw were captivating and depicted the genius work of their artists. For instance, a praying art by Nargges Albekord particularly caught my eye due to the brilliance use of acrylic paint to respond to contradictions and emotions of certain Muslim women. Another art that impressed me was the painting called the landscape by Shahbaz Malik. The painter used oil on canvas to develop a masterpiece that depicted northern Pakistan's terrain during the Post-Impressionism era. In fact, how Malik used different hues for this painting is quite appealing to the eye. However, the painting by Hadi Abbas dubbed the tile looked too basic. This painting had a dominant blue color and a rough texture, which are not my any near my favorites. In general, the whole experience at the museum was fantastic. I learned a lot about Islamic arts and culture, a situation that has made me appreciate Muslims and their religion.