Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey Sohail Mahmood said winning the Jameel Prize “is great news for Ghulam Mohammad, for Pakistan’s young artists, and for art community in Pakistan.”
ISTANBUL, (Turkey) – Pakistani artist Ghulam Mohammad has won the prestigious Islamic art award, Jameel Prize 4, for his works in contemporary Islamic art. The Prize was awarded to Ghulam Mohammad at a ceremony held at Pera Museum in Istanbul.
This is the first time an artist from Pakistan has won the Jameel Prize. Over 280 nominations were received from around the world for Jameel Prize 4, out of which 11 artists were short-listed by a panel of judges, chaired by V&A Director, Martin Roth.
Asye and Ece Ege, founders of Turkish fashion label Dice Kayek and winners of Jameel Prize 3, presented the Prize to Ghulam Mohammad.
Ghulam Mohammad’s work “stood out for its excellence of concept and execution” according to the judges. “Using second-hand books, Ghulam Mohammad’s intricate collages of paper cuttings of Urdu script pasted on Wasli paper create new meanings and celebrate the great heritage of Islamic art, craft and design,” the announcement by V&A noted.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey Sohail Mahmood said he was extremely delighted to hear the announcement. “It is a great news for Ghulam Mohammad, for Pakistan’s young artists, and for the broader art community in Pakistan” he remarked.
“The fact that this took place in brotherly Turkey makes it even more special,” Mr. Sohail Mahmood added.
Ambassador Sohail commended both V&A and Pera Museum for their collaboration in this edition of Jameel Award, adding that it would further showcase the creative genius of Pakistani artists, and especially of young artists whose works were being increasingly recognized internationally and adorned the best art galleries and museums of the world.
Five artworks of Ghulam Mohammad, as well as those of other 10 short-listed artists, are now on display at Pera Museum (Istanbul) from 8 June to 14 August 2016.
The 11 short-listed artists and designers included David Chalmers Alesworth, Rasheed Araeen, Lara Assouad, CANAN, Cevdet Erek, Sahand Hesamiyan, Lucia Koch, Ghulam Mohammad, Shahpour Pouyan, Wael Shawky and Bahia Shehab.
The V&A houses one of the world’s notable collections of Islamic art in its Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art. The late Zaha Hadid, award-winning architect, was Patron of the Jameel Prize.
The Jameel Prize is an international award for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition. Its aim is to explore the relationship between Islamic traditions of art, craft and design and contemporary work as part of a wider debate about Islamic culture and its role today.
The Prize is open to artists and designers from any ethnic, religious or cultural background. The first Prize was awarded in 2009. The subsequent Prizes and exhibition of work of finalists were held at V&A, London. This is the first time the Prize and exhibition have been held at an external venue, i.e. Pera Museum in Istanbul, Turkey.