{"id":2867,"date":"2026-10-15T06:00:25","date_gmt":"2026-10-15T06:00:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/?p=2867"},"modified":"2026-10-15T06:00:25","modified_gmt":"2026-10-15T06:00:25","slug":"two-decades-of-excellence-celebrating-20-years-of-the-jameel-gallery-at-the-va","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/?p=2867","title":{"rendered":"Two Decades of Excellence: Celebrating 20 Years of the Jameel Gallery at the V&A"},"content":{"rendered":"

This July, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in South Kensington reached a significant milestone, marking the 20th anniversary of the opening of The Jameel Gallery. Since its inauguration in 2006, the gallery has stood as the museum\u2019s premier home for the arts of the Islamic Middle East, serving as a bridge between historical heritage and contemporary global dialogue. To commemorate two decades of stewardship, the museum has spent the past year reflecting on its legacy through a series of new displays, public programs, and academic conferences, while looking forward to a future that continues to champion living traditions.<\/p>\n

The Jameel Gallery is a testament to the breadth of artistic output across the Islamic world, housing approximately 400 objects that span from the 8th century to the present day. Its collection is geographically and culturally diverse, featuring masterpieces that originate from as far west as Spain and as far east as Central Asia. Within its walls, visitors can encounter a rich tapestry of human creativity, including intricate ceramics, monumental carpets, delicate metalwork, ornate woodwork, refined glass, and illuminated manuscripts. By maintaining free access for all, the V&A ensures that this profound collection remains a public resource, inviting global audiences to engage with the aesthetic and technical achievements of these varied cultures.<\/p>\n

The establishment of the gallery was made possible through the generous support of the Jameel family, a partnership that has blossomed into a long-standing commitment to the preservation and promotion of Islamic arts. This relationship deepened in 2009 with the launch of the Jameel Prize, an prestigious international award that has since become a hallmark of the V&A\u2019s mission to explore the dynamic relationship between contemporary artistic practice and Islamic tradition. Throughout this anniversary year, the museum has been supported by Community Jameel in delivering a robust program of events, including specialized displays and scholarly conferences, all designed to highlight the enduring relevance of the gallery\u2019s contents.<\/p>\n

\"Celebrating<\/figure>\n

A central theme of the anniversary celebrations has been the integration of "living traditions." By bringing practitioners into the gallery space, the V&A has sought to provide context to the historic objects, demonstrating that the skills, techniques, and philosophies behind these works are not relics of the past but vibrant, evolving disciplines. <\/p>\n

This commitment to craft was prominently displayed during London Craft Week in May, when the museum hosted Egyptian textile artist Hany Abd El-Kader. His demonstration of khayamiyya<\/em>\u2014the traditional art of cotton appliqu\u00e9\u2014offered visitors a rare glimpse into the painstaking labor and artistry required to create these intricate fabrics. The event, which included a sold-out talk introduced by Seif El Rashidi of the Barakat Trust, also featured hands-on workshops, allowing a small group of participants to engage directly with the medium and create their own pieces of khayamiyya<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The celebration continued into July, marking the exact anniversary of the gallery\u2019s opening. The V&A hosted a conference titled "The Islamic Art Museumscape," which served as a critical platform for curators and scholars to discuss the evolution of Islamic collections in global museums. The event examined how the role of these collections has shifted over the last two decades, identifying new trends and themes that have emerged since 2006. Later that month, the museum pivoted to contemporary discourse with a "Friday Late" event organized in collaboration with Shubbak, titled "Body as a Vessel," which showcased the innovative creativity emerging from the Arab and SWANA (Southwest Asian and North African) regions.<\/p>\n

\"Celebrating<\/figure>\n

As the anniversary year progressed into September, the gallery saw a new installation by artist Aziza Kadyri, which wove through the museum\u2019s historic arches. This installation was complemented by the work of Uzbek embroidery artist Yulduz Mukhiddinova, who traveled to London to lead workshops on suzani<\/em> embroidery. Her sessions, both in the gallery and at the "Awakenings" Friday Late event, provided roughly 80 participants with the opportunity to learn traditional stitches under the guidance of a master. The cultural immersion was further enhanced by a performance from Uzbek singer-songwriter Laylo, reinforcing the gallery\u2019s role as a space where visual art, music, and craft converge.<\/p>\n

Reflecting on the milestone, Mariam Rosser-Owen, Curator for the Middle East in the Asia Department, emphasized the profound importance of the collection\u2019s history. She noted that the museum\u2019s involvement with Middle Eastern art dates back to its founding in the 1850s, a period when the acquisition of such objects was primarily driven by a desire to improve and inspire British design. Over the subsequent century, the V&A built a world-famous collection that influenced iconic figures such as William Morris. <\/p>\n

Rosser-Owen highlights that the current gallery space, which was first opened in 1950, underwent a critical transformation in 2006. Prior to the Jameel family\u2019s intervention, the gallery had seen a refresh in the 1970s, but by the time the museum\u2019s dedicated Middle East curatorial section was established in 2002, a comprehensive overhaul was required. The 2006 renovation allowed the V&A to display its world-class collection in an environment that finally matched the quality and significance of the objects themselves.<\/p>\n

\"Celebrating<\/figure>\n

For Fady Jameel, Family Ambassador of Community Jameel and Chairman and Founder of Art Jameel, the gallery serves as the anchor for the family\u2019s long-standing dedication to the field. He notes that the space has transcended its initial role as a repository for objects, becoming a hub for research, engagement, and contemporary artistic dialogue. The partnership, he suggests, is rooted in a shared goal: to preserve ancient traditions while ensuring they remain accessible and inspiring to new, diverse audiences.<\/p>\n

Visitors to the gallery are encouraged to explore several key objects that define the collection\u2019s prestige. Among them is the famous Ardabil Carpet, dated 1539\u20131540, which was created for the shrine of Shaykh Safi al-Din in Ardabil, Iran. Housed in a central case designed to allow for floor-level viewing, the carpet is one of the oldest dated examples in the world. Due to its sensitivity to light, it is illuminated for only ten minutes at the top and bottom of each hour, a conservation practice that highlights the museum\u2019s commitment to preserving its treasures.<\/p>\n

Other notable pieces include a 10th-century carved rock crystal ewer, which serves as a stunning example of Fatimid luxury, and a 15th-century minbar<\/em> made for Sultan Qa’itbay, a masterpiece of geometric wood and ivory inlay. At the entrance, visitors are greeted by a 15th-century Spanish lustreware bowl featuring a ship, whose surface shimmers with a metallic glaze. Furthermore, the gallery has recently expanded its reach into the 20th century with a selection of Iranian prints, gifted in 2023 by Tarlan Rafiee and Yashar Samimi Mofakham. These works, including a 1975 print by Nasser Ovissi, represent the modern art movements that flourished in Iran during the mid-20th century.<\/p>\n

\"Celebrating<\/figure>\n

The anniversary celebrations are not yet over. Looking ahead to November 2026, the museum will participate in Islamic Art Week with a live-streamed demonstration by artist Mariam Ashraf, who will showcase the technique of plaster carving. This method, historically used for decorative windows embedded with colored glass, will be demonstrated in the context of the 19th-century Cairene windows already held in the gallery\u2019s collection.<\/p>\n

Two decades after its opening, The Jameel Gallery continues to serve as a vital link between the past and the present. It stands as a testament to the power of cultural collaboration, bringing together an extraordinary range of objects, the wisdom of living craftspeople, and the voices of modern artists. As the museum moves into its third decade of this partnership, the gallery remains a space of discovery, inviting every visitor to find a personal connection within its historic walls. The Jameel Gallery is open to the public at the V&A South Kensington, with no booking required for admission.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This July, the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) in South Kensington reached a significant milestone, marking the 20th anniversary of the opening of The Jameel Gallery. Since its inauguration in 2006, the gallery has stood as the museum\u2019s premier home for the arts of the Islamic Middle East, serving as a bridge between historical heritage […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2866,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[262],"tags":[274,1448,275,1894,1817,805,126,3926,276,18],"class_list":["post-2867","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asian-art-and-culture","tag-asian-art","tag-celebrating","tag-culture","tag-decades","tag-excellence","tag-gallery","tag-heritage","tag-jameel","tag-philosophy","tag-years"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2867","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2867"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2867\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2867"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2867"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/orientalplaces.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2867"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}