From Africa: A Celebration for Black History Month Aga Khan Museum 2026-09-20 | From Africa: A Celebration for Black History Month
A Museum Like No Other Aga Khan Museum 2023-12-20 | The Aga Khan Museum provides visitors with a window into the artistic, intellectual, and scientific contributions of Muslim civilizations to world heritage.Come visit Toronto’s Aga Khan Museum.
Shezad Dawood | Night in the Garden of Love Aga Khan Museum 2023-12-01 | “I was also really blown away by the fact that [Night in the Garden of Love] is written in a kind of musical tone. And that allowed me to think about how you took a book and made it an experience.”Shezad Dawood, the artist behind our current special exhibition #NightInTheGardenOfLove, had known of Yusef Lateef since childhood, but it wasn’t until he was an adult that the full immersion into Lateef’s world began. In Dawood’s words, “it’s […] hard to say where Lateef ends and I begin.”Learn more about the exhibition at agakhanmuseum.org/nightinthegardenoflove
Highlights from Lapis Ball: In Ecstatic Motion — Thursday, September 28, 2023 Aga Khan Museum 2023-10-18 | On Thursday, September 28, 2023, more than 250 guests gathered at the Aga Khan Museum for Lapis Ball: In Ecstatic Motion. A celebration of the enduring themes of Rumi’s poetry, the evening was brought to life through the visual arts, storytelling, and performances by Moe Clark, Saeed Kamjoo, and Mekaal Hasan Band. Through the generous support of our sponsors and donors, the Museum raised over $1 million. These funds contribute to innovative exhibitions, educational programming for lifelong learners, and family-friendly activities.
Shezad Dawood: Night in the Garden of Love | Aga Khan Museum | Exhibition Opening Nov. 10, 2023 Aga Khan Museum 2023-10-10 | Gardens — whether real or imagined — can be spaces of creation and optimism in the face of the climate crisis. Night in the Garden of Love is a multisensory exhibition by British artist Shezad Dawood, inspired by African-American Muslim musician, composer, and polymath (Allāmah) Dr. Yusef Lateef (1920 – 2013). In this multilayered exhibition, the garden serves as the starting point for a creative futuristic and intercultural conversation in which art and music can help transform the individual and the environment. Dawood sparks a transformational mindset as audiences are guided through VR, textile works, music, scent, and imagined plants that respond to digital algorithms.Learn more about the exhibition: agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/shezad-dawoodThis exhibition is produced in partnership with WIELS.
Prince Hussains CTA | Technicolour Ocean: The Fragile Biodiversity of Indonesia | Aga Khan Museum Aga Khan Museum 2023-10-10 | Since his childhood, Prince Hussain Aga Khan has been fascinated by the beauty and increasing fragility of ocean life. Through the art of wildlife photography, he has dedicated his life to raising awareness of underwater worlds that are breathtaking in their kaleidoscopic colours and diversity. They are now under imminent threat. In less than 30 years’ time, there will be more plastic than fish (by mass) in our oceans.For this exhibition, Prince Hussain has collected photographs taken between 2011 and 2023 in Indonesian waters, some of the most biodiverse underwater places on the planet. Located in the Lower Level Gallery and the Aga Khan Park, Technicolour Ocean reflects his expeditions to Lembeh, Bunaken, Raja Ampat, West Papua, and Southeast Sulawesi. These photographs give us much to think about and reflect Prince Hussain’s commitment to encourage global efforts to conserve the world’s animal species and ecosystems.Learn more about Technicolour Ocean: agakhanmuseum.org/technicolourocean
2023 Duende Flamenco Festival Teaser | Aga Khan Museum Aga Khan Museum 2023-10-05 | Don't miss the Aga Khan Museum's annual Duende Flamenco Festival, running from November 16 to 19. Celebrate the fiery world of flamenco with film screenings, music, and live performances by prolific artists from all over the world, including acclaimed flamenco artists Eduardo Guerrero and El Yiyo.This year's festival celebrates the cross-cultural practice of the art form, which spans from the Middle East to Japan to the Americas. Explore the multi-disciplinary nature of flamenco and its continually evolving modes of expression through an exciting celebration of dance, music, and film. Learn more about the festival: agakhanmuseum.org/duende2023The ninth annual Duende Flamenco Festival is guest curated by Carmen Romero, the artistic director and principal dancer of Toronto's Compañía Carmen RomeroArtistic Direction by Amirali Alibhai, Head of Performing Arts at the Aga Khan Museum.
National Volunteer Week 2023 Aga Khan Museum 2023-04-18 | Our volunteers make the Museum the incredible place that it is, and we wouldn't be able to do what we do without them. This #NationalVolunteerWeek, join us in celebrating and saying thanks to not only the Museum's volunteers but volunteers all over the country. Your contribution and service help us reach our full potential. #AgaKhanMuseum #VolunteerWeek
Tarana Digital Project: The Story of Tarana Aga Khan Museum 2023-03-09 | Co-produced by the Aga Khan Museum and Toronto-based dance company Pratibha Arts, Tarana is a video project focused on engaging audiences with South Asian dance while equipping viewers with educational tools to further the awareness and appreciation of the Kathak tradition.Join Amirali Alibhai, Head of Performing Arts at the Aga Khan Museum, as he sits down with Bageshree Vaze, Artistic Director of Pratibha Arts, to explore the inspiration behind the Tarana video series and the resilient and evolutionary story of Kathak.
Tarana Digital Project: Dhamaar for Kathak Aga Khan Museum 2023-03-09 | Co-produced by the Aga Khan Museum and Toronto-based dance company Pratibha Arts, Tarana is a video project focused on engaging audiences with South Asian dance while equipping viewers with educational tools to further the awareness and appreciation of the Kathak tradition.An exploration of this majestic 14-beat rhythmic cycle, highlighting the crucial role of Tabla drum language in Kathak dance. The first half of the performance features signature repertoire elements of the Kathak dance style. These include the Uthaan, a beginning exposition of rhythm; Thaat, the slow unfolding of movement; Tukde, pieces of rhythmic complexity; Paran Ahmad, the interplay of Tandava and Lasya, or masculine and feminine energies; and Tihaiya, compositions that occur three times to finish on the Sum, the first beat of the rhythmic cycle. The second half evokes the theme of the monsoon season, Malhar, in melody, rhythm and movement.
Tarana Digital Project: Tarana Aga Khan Museum 2023-03-09 | Co-produced by the Aga Khan Museum and Toronto-based dance company Pratibha Arts, Tarana is a video project focused on engaging audiences with South Asian dance while equipping viewers with educational tools to further the awareness and appreciation of the Kathak tradition.With lyrics that are rhythmic in nature, the Tarana is a fantasy of movement. In South Indian dance, a tarana is known as a Thillana. Often the culminating piece in a Kathak performance, the Tarana interweaves melody with staccato, a high-speed rhythmic composition that highlights footwork and chakkars (spins), unique to the Kathak style. The choreography and staging of this tarana evokes the Darbar era of classical dance and music in South Asia, when artists performed in intimate royal court salons.
Tarana Digital Project: Navarasas Aga Khan Museum 2023-03-09 | Co-produced by the Aga Khan Museum and Toronto-based dance company Pratibha Arts, Tarana is a video project focused on engaging audiences with South Asian dance while equipping viewers with educational tools to further the awareness and appreciation of the Kathak tradition. This piece evokes emotional responses in both the performer and the audience by enacting the Navarasas — imagining them as emotions through Mudras and Abhinaya, hand gestures and facial expressions.The nine emotions in the human experience, as identified in the Natya Shastra, a 2000-year-old treatise on South Asian classical dance, are, Sringara (Love), Adbhuta (Wonder), Bhaya (Fear), Veera (Bravery), Raudra (Anger), Bibhatsa (Disgust), Karuna (Sorrow), Hasya (Laughter) and Shanti (Peace).
Tarana Digital Project: Lucknows Jewel Aga Khan Museum 2023-03-09 | Co-produced by the Aga Khan Museum and Toronto-based dance company Pratibha Arts, Tarana is a video project focused on engaging audiences with South Asian dance while equipping viewers with educational tools to further the awareness and appreciation of the Kathak tradition. This piece brings to life the grandeur of the Lucknow courts, where classical dance and music were performed prior to 1858, before the British colonialists dismantled the system of royal court arts patronage in South Asia. The first half begins with a Tarana featuring a famous rhythmic composition by the late legendary Tabla master Pandit Kishan Maharaj. The second half features the Gat Nikaas, the courtesan's dance, which features a gliding walk, chaal, and enactment of mythological characters. This Gat Nikaas depicts Lord Krishna, shown as playing the bansuri, or bamboo flute.
Tarana Digital Project: Kalashree Tarana Aga Khan Museum 2023-03-09 | Co-produced by the Aga Khan Museum and Toronto-based dance company Pratibha Arts, Tarana is a video project focused on engaging audiences with South Asian dance while equipping viewers with educational tools to further the awareness and appreciation of the Kathak tradition. This Tarana is composed in a 20th-century raga, or melody, which is a combination of Ragas Kalavati and Rageshree. The choreography highlights the interactions of graceful and dynamic movements and rhythms.
Tarana Digital Project: Jogkauns Tarana Aga Khan Museum 2023-03-09 | Co-produced by the Aga Khan Museum and Toronto-based dance company Pratibha Arts, Tarana is a video project focused on engaging audiences with South Asian dance while equipping viewers with educational tools to further the awareness and appreciation of the Kathak tradition.This Tarana evokes a sombre, mystical quality in its composition and choreography and celebrates the Sufi and Islamic influences in Kathak dance.
Lapis Ball & Digital Benefit: The Art of Transformation - Tuesday, September 27, 2022 Aga Khan Museum 2022-10-14 | On Tuesday, September 27, 2022, the Aga Khan Museum proudly presented the Lapis Ball & Digital Benefit: The Art of Transformation.A celebration of how the Museum harnesses the power of art to broaden perspectives, foster connections, and change lives, the event was enjoyed by more than 250 guests at the Aga Khan Museum, and thousands more online from around the world.Through the generous support of our sponsors and donors, the Museum raised over $1.1 million, making this our most successful event ever.
Other Solitudes — National Day for Truth and Reconciliation Aga Khan Museum 2022-09-30 | This digital work, presented to mark National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, is a collaboration between Indigenous artist Darlene Gijuminag and Pakistani-Canadian filmmaker Imran Babur. After the Aga Khan Museum’s virtual Music for a New Day project brought Gijuminag and Babur together in 2020, the artists were invited to hold space in the Museum in 2021 for the first National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. Their work is a reflection on the meaning of this commemorative day using Matt Donovan and Hallie Siegel’s contemporary installation, Rust Garden.The exhibition, which took place in the Museum Collections Gallery provided an opportunity for visitors to contemplate our national story by rearranging low-carbon steel letters to create messages that represent their ideas of what it means to be Canadian.The more than 700,000 letters used in the installation appear in Canadian writer Hugh MacLennan’s classic 1945 novel Two Solitudes — a coming-of-age story about a young man with a French-Canadian father and an English-Canadian mother, who struggles to reconcile his mixed cultural identity.
Lapis Digital Benefit: LIVE from the Aga Khan Museum Aga Khan Museum 2022-09-28 | To donate to the Museum, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/lapisdonateThe funds raised will support the Museum’s ability to continue to adapt to our ever-changing world and create unique and meaningful experiences for our community to connect with art and one another.—Tune in live from the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Canada, for the 2022 Lapis Ball & Digital Benefit: The Art of Transformation.The event will bring together the best of our in-person and digital offerings to highlight the Museum’s incredible impact on individuals and communities both locally and globally. We look forward to sharing how we have harnessed the power of art to broaden perspectives, foster connections, and change lives.
Family Activity: Draw Patterns Aga Khan Museum 2022-08-09 | Imagine creating patterns that bring life to the interior and exterior of buildings. Using the painting of Shahnameh from the Museum's Collection as inspiration, what new patterns and shapes can you think of creating?Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Family Activity: Draw an Eight Pointed Star Aga Khan Museum 2022-08-09 | This week, let's think about geometry and learn how to bring it into our art. Using pieces from the Museum's collection as inspiration, take a look at this video to learn how you can draw and decorate an eight pointed star through the principles of geometry. Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Family Activity: Draw a Persian Garden Aga Khan Museum 2022-08-09 | With the arrival of spring, you can build your own Persian garden with all the flowers, plants and animals that you love, using The Museum's Wagner Garden Carpet as inspiration.For more #MuseumWithoutWalls activities for kids, go to agakhanmuseum.org/programs/play-and-learn.Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Family Activity: Make A Universe Aga Khan Museum 2022-08-09 | What is in your universe? What is part of your world and what do you think is around us far out in space? This Family Sunday activity challenges us to think about our place in the world and the universe at large. For more #MuseumWithoutWalls activities for kids, go to agakhanmuseum.org/programs/play-and-learnBringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Family Activity: Make Word Art Aga Khan Museum 2022-08-09 | Using eL Seed's majestic art display at the Aga Khan Museum as inspiration, see if your friends and family can guess the secret word or message that you choose to hide within your own art! Grab some art supplies, watch the video and have fun!Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
This Being Human Episode 23: Misha Euceph Aga Khan Museum 2022-07-04 | Misha Euceph is the host of the podcast Tell Them, I Am and CEO of Dustlight Productions. Tell Them, I Am features major Muslim celebrities telling stories of little moments that changed their lives.She talks about her rise to podcast fame, her struggle to gain ownership over her show, and making the Quran more accessible. You can watch her Quran Book Club on her Instagram page.Learn more about This Being Human: portal.agakhanmuseum.org/podcasts/index.html
This Being Human Episode 19: Nargis Jahan-Uddin Aga Khan Museum 2022-07-04 | As the founder of the popular online community Muslim Mamas, Nargis Jahan-Uddin has a front row seat to the ongoing interests and concerns of Muslim mothers.She gives us a look into the contemporary online world of Muslim motherhood, and talks about her own journey from an impoverished neighbourhood of London, to creating this growing online community, which now includes a lifestyle website and a public Facebook page with over 130,000 followers.Learn more about This Being Human: portal.agakhanmuseum.org/podcasts/index.html
This Being Human Episode 18: Tasneem Alsultan Aga Khan Museum 2022-07-04 | Tasneem Alsultan is a photographer based in Saudi Arabia. Her work has documented major changes in Saudi culture for The New York Times, National Geographic and others. But she also captures the more ordinary aspects of life. She won first prize in the 2017 World Photography Organisation Awards for Saudi Tales of Loves, a series showcasing love stories of all kinds, from divorcees and widows to happily married couples.She talks about breaking stereotypes, capturing intimate moments and a time she had to wear a disguise to get the job done.Learn more about This Being Human: portal.agakhanmuseum.org/podcasts/index.html
This Being Human Episode 20: Ian Whiteman Aga Khan Museum 2022-07-04 | Ian Whiteman was a fixture of the 60’s UK music scene and member of the cult classic bands Mighty Baby and The Habibiyya. He reflects on the early early days of psychedelic rock, and talks about how Islam became a major part of that scene, leading to his own conversion and his friendship with Yusuf Islam, A.K.A. Cat Stevens. His latest album is called Poor Man’s Prayer.Learn more about This Being Human: portal.agakhanmuseum.org/podcasts/index.html
This Being Human Episode 21: Marina Tabassum Aga Khan Museum 2022-07-04 | Marina Tabassum is an acclaimed Bangladeshi architect whose work includes Bangladesh’s underground Museum of Independence and the award-winning Bait Ur Rouf Mosque. She talks about working with local materials, the rich landscape of Bangladesh’s capital city, Dhaka, and why she designed $200 mobile houses to address climate change.Marina Tabassum is the founder of Marina Tabassum Architects and the academic director of the Bengal Institute for Architecture, Landscapes and Settlements.Learn more about This Being Human: portal.agakhanmuseum.org/podcasts/index.html
This Being Human Episode 22: Khalid Albaih Aga Khan Museum 2022-07-04 | Khalid Albaih is a Sudanese political cartoonist, who publishes cartoons online under the name Khartoon! as well as in galleries and publications around the world.He talks about how Superman shaped his worldview, the dangers of his work, and why he's trying to change his relationship with the internet.Learn more about This Being Human: portal.agakhanmuseum.org/podcasts/index.html
This Being Human Episode 24: Roni Helou Aga Khan Museum 2022-07-04 | Roni Helou is a rising star from Lebanon’s fashion scene. The young designer talks about making fashion with a message, why he staged a photoshoot on a mountain of garbage, and surviving the explosion that devastated Beirut in 2020.Learn more about This Being Human: portal.agakhanmuseum.org/podcasts/index.html
This Being Human Episode 25: Hamid Dabashi Aga Khan Museum 2022-07-04 | Hamid Dabashi calls himself “the first Muslim intellectual.” He is the author of more than twenty books, a consultant on major Hollywood films, a curator and juror of film festivals, and a professor of Iranian Studies and comparative literature at Columbia University.He talks about how an early love of Indian musicals, his mother’s poetry and travelling storytellers led him towards a life of writing and criticism. And he reflects on his friendship with renowned cultural critic Edward Said.Learn more about This Being Human: portal.agakhanmuseum.org/podcasts/index.html
Making an Exhibition, Episode 4 | An Exhibition is Born Aga Khan Museum 2022-06-08 | Journey behind-the-scenes at the Aga Khan Museum in part four of the Making an Exhibition series as the team prepares to open our newest exhibition: Image? The Power of the Visual.The pressure is on as the team works hard to bring the exhibition to life just in time for opening day. Learn about how the Museum engages and interacts with visitors in person and at home from Education Specialist, Hafiz Printer, and Exhibitions Coordinator, Alessandra Cirelli, plus hear from visitors as they walk through the exhibition for the very first time.Learn more about the Image? exhibition and the objects on display: agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/image?Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, Sunray Group. Image? The Power of the Visual is proudly supported by the Global Patrons' of the Aga Khan Museum.
Making an Exhibition, Episode 3 | Staging the Story Aga Khan Museum 2022-05-21 | Journey behind-the-scenes at the Aga Khan Museum in part three of the Making an Exhibition series as the team prepares to open our newest exhibition: Image? The Power of the Visual.Get a sneak-peek into the final few weeks leading up to the opening as the Aga Khan Museum begins to welcome loan objects from all over the world. Learn about the acclimatization process from Museum Registrar, Jessica Ho and the considerations that Exhibitions Manager, Dr. Hayley Andrew and Director and CEO, Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis keep in mind during the installation. Catch featured artist, Rashid Rana’s first look at his piece as he walks Ali Badshah through the inspiration behind his work.Learn more about the Image? exhibition and the objects on display: agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/image?Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, Sunray Group. Image? The Power of the Visual is proudly supported by the Global Patrons' of the Aga Khan Museum.
Healing Rhythms, Episode 4: The Monekas Journey from Mombasa to Basra to Toronto Aga Khan Museum 2022-05-21 | “Healing Rhythms" is a four-part series marking Black History Month and the rich cultural diversity of Toronto. Across the series, you will be introduced to several teachers and musicians — including the Moneka family — who share their rhythms and songs that celebrate family and community.In the last episode of the series, enjoy songs from the fourth mood, Simba, and learn about the different Sufi traditions and rituals that are practiced and performed in Iraq — specifically in Basra. Gain insight into the diverse faiths that have lived in Iraq, and the harmonious ways in which they interconnected as a society for hundreds of years, through generations.Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Making an Exhibition, Episode 2 | The Secret Life of Objects Aga Khan Museum 2022-04-29 | Journey behind-the-scenes at the Aga Khan Museum in part two of the Making an Exhibition series as the team prepares to open our newest exhibition: Image? The Power of the Visual.With the exhibition approaching quickly, watch paper conservator, Laura Fedynyszyn as she prepares and repairs crucial exhibition pieces, and learn about how installation project manager, Simon Barron designs and builds custom mounts and cases to accommodate the specific environmental needs of each object.Learn more about the Image? exhibition and the objects on display: agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/image?Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, Sunray Group. Image? The Power of the Visual is proudly supported by the Global Patrons' of the Aga Khan Museum.
Healing Rhythms, Episode 3: The Monekas Journey from Mombasa to Basra to Toronto Aga Khan Museum 2022-04-14 | “Healing Rhythms" is a four-part series marking Black History Month and the rich cultural diversity of Toronto. Across the series, you will be introduced to several teachers and musicians — including the Moneka family — who share their rhythms and songs that celebrate family and community.In the third episode of the series, the Moneka family introduces viewers to the third mood, titled Ishtemirithrough a series of songs that harmonize and integrate old Swahili and Arabic. Learn about the history of the black community in Iraq and Thawrat Al-Zinj – The first black revolution in the world. Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Making an Exhibition, Episode 1 | The Art of the Image Aga Khan Museum 2022-04-12 | Journey behind-the-scenes at the Aga Khan Museum in part one of the Making an Exhibition series as the team prepares to open our newest exhibition: Image? The Power of the Visual.Hear from Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis, Aga Khan Museum CEO & Director, about suspending 275,000 photos from the gallery ceiling; enter the temperature-controlled vault to learn about the microclimates that allow centuries-old objects to retain their history, and hear from Exhibitions Manager Dr. Hayley Andrew about everything from designing the exhibition space to creating a seamless visitor experience.Learn more about the Image? exhibition and the objects on display: agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/image?Thank you to our Presenting Sponsor, Sunray Group. Image? The Power of the Visual is proudly supported by the Global Patrons' of the Aga Khan Museum.
Healing Rhythms, Episode 2: The Monekas Journey from Mombasa to Basra to Toronto Aga Khan Museum 2022-03-18 | “Healing Rhythms" is a four-part series marking Black History Month and the rich cultural diversity of Toronto. Across the series, you will be introduced to several teachers and musicians — including the Moneka family — who share their rhythms and songs that celebrate family and community.In the second episode of the series, the Moneka family introduces viewers to the second mood, titled Muzoka, through a series of ancestral songs that have been passed on through generations of the Moneka family. Learn about why these traditions are so important to preserve through song, and how they have evolved and grown with the Moneka family throughout their rich family history.Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Healing Rhythms, Episode 1: The Monekas Journey from Mombasa to Basra to Toronto Aga Khan Museum 2022-02-25 | “Healing Rhythms" is a four-part series marking Black History Month and the rich cultural diversity of Toronto. Across the series you will be introduced to several teachers and musicians — including the Moneka family — who share their rhythms and songs that celebrate family and community.In episode 1, you are introduced to the Moneka family and their journey from Mombasa to Basra to Toronto. In 2015, Ahmed Moneka arrived in Canada at the age of 24. Moneka is now a Canadian Citizen and a father. After a 1,000 year generational history in Iraq, Ahmed’s father, mother, and sister joined him in Toronto in 2021, leaving their Iraqi roots that extend back to Mombasa, Kenya in the 8th Century (CE). The Moneka's are not just a musical family, but are keepers and practitioners of a tariqa (spiritual path) known as Bilali Mombasi or Al Tariqa Albambasia. Drumming, singing and dance form the basis of their practice and a means of connecting history, ancestors, and healing.At the end of January 2022, Ahmed, his sister Tara, and his father Saleh gathered with Toronto artists Saiko Saho (Gambia), Waleed Abdulhameed (Sudan), and Aline Morales (Brazil) — all of who have African ancestry to teach them ritual rhythms and songs from their family tradition.This sharing amongst musicians and teachers is a beautiful act of generosity and sound strategy. If we do not share our knowledge and traditions, they become lost. This is how we not only keep them alive, but allow them to evolve.Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Curators Pick: Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE with Dr. Michael Chagnon Aga Khan Museum 2022-02-24 | In honour of Black History Month, this Curator's Pick from Aga Khan Museum Curator Dr. Michael Chagnon highlights Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE — a monumental LEGO® sculpture acquired by the Museum in 2021.Created by Toronto-based Ghanaian-Canadian Ekow Nimako, Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE is an Afrofuturistic reimagining of the capital of the medieval Kingdom of Ghana. Made up of approximately 100,000+ LEGO® pieces, Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE celebrates the glories of an ancient African trade hub and the limitless possibilities of the future.In his examination of this sculptural masterpiece, Dr. Chagnon delves into the medieval roots of the metropolis, taking viewers on a journey through time to the mighty Ghanaian Empire which flourished between the 8th and 13th centuries, and whose capital inspired Nimako to create this utopian cityscape.Photos Credits:Ekow NimakoConnie TsangSamuel EngelkingIssac Samuel (Twitter: @rhaplord)Sultana MangaljiHouston Museum of African American CultureVisit the Aga Khan Museum's website to learn more about Kumbi Saleh 3020 CE: agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/kumbi-saleh-3020-ceBringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Afraaz Mulji Original Composition Aga Khan Museum 2022-02-22 | This piano composition by contemporary multi-instrumentalist Afraaz Mulji is inspired by a 16th-century music manuscript in the exhibition Hidden Stories: Books Along the Silk Roads at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.The manuscript, now in the collection of Western University in Ontario, was originally owned by a monastery in Spain and used for communal singing in the choir. Mulji performs his original composition and is joined in conversation with Amirali Alibhai (Head of Performing Arts, Aga Khan Museum) to discuss the process of composing the piece and his interest in the Spanish antiphoner and its music. The piano piece was commissioned by and recorded at the Aga Khan Museum (December 2021), the domed space of the auditorium providing chapel-like acoustic for the performance. Mulji reflects on the shared acoustical traits of Christian and Muslim sacred spaces and the inspiration he found in the European Christian manuscript: “the idea of 'text' in all its myriad plethoric expressions fascinates me, and moves me."Learn more about the Hidden Stories exhibition, the Western Antiphoner at the heart of this performance, and where Afraaz Mulji sought inspiration for the opus from: hiddenstories.library.utoronto.caBringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Lunchtime Lecture: Tombs, Temples, and Sacred Sites: Testing the Limits with Alexander the Great Aga Khan Museum 2022-02-14 | Join Hidden Stories co-curator Dr. Suzanne Conklin Akbari on an artistic exploration of the adventures and enduring legend of Alexander the Great — recorded on December 09, 2021.The Museum exhibition Hidden Stories: Books Along the Silk Roads includes a glimpse into the enthralling life of Alexander the Great. Known in the Islamic world under the names Iskandar, in Arabic, or Eskandar, in Persian, his legend was reinvented for each new generation.On the one hand, Alexander epitomizes the absolute power of a mighty warrior king and his thirst to explore new horizons; but he also signifies the danger of going too far, passing beyond the limits of mortal man. Through an exploration of word and image in Western and Eastern literary sources, as well as images of Alexander in the Museum’s own collection, this lecture will show how Alexander’s encounters with the sacred — at the gates of Jerusalem, in the western tradition, and at the Ka’ba, in the eastern tradition — highlight the multiple versions of Alexander the Great that were created in the premodern imagination.Learn more about Hidden Stories: Books Along the Silk Roads: agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/hidden-storiesBringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Lunchtime Lecture: Uncovering the Story: Old Books, New Science, and the Silk Roads Aga Khan Museum 2022-01-28 | Discover the back story behind Hidden Stories: Books Along the Silk Roads with an enthralling talk featuring the leader of the Toronto-based research team whose cutting-edge work made the exhibition possible.Dr. Alexandra Gillespie delves into the deep explorations and important discoveries of the University of Toronto’s Mellon Foundation-funded Books and the Silks Roads project. In her Lunchtime Lecture from October 28, 2021, she illuminates the art, science, and inspiration driving the initiative, which “maps connections between parts of the premodern world by describing the technology of the book.”Learn more about Hidden Stories: Books Along the Silk Roads: agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/hidden-storiesBringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Family Activity: Find Music in the Sounds of Nature Aga Khan Museum 2022-01-27 | Nature is full of sounds. Outdoors in winters, we can often hear the howling of the wind, the cracking of ice and the creaking of trees weighed down by snow. We can also make the snow crunch under our boots and our stick tap against frozen ponds. What other sounds of nature can we hear and make? Find out through this family activity that encourages you to explore the tempo you can create using natural objects and the rhythms you can hear in the natural environment around you. Then put these together to create your own unique collection of sounds or music! Continue your exploration of sounds and musical instruments through our Collection by visiting our Sound and Music themed installation, currently on display: agakhanmuseum.org/exhibitions/museum-collection-sound-and-music
Peer Perspective: Talismanic Chart with Dr. Christiane Gruber Aga Khan Museum 2022-01-25 | Look for messages hidden within eye-catching patterns in the latest Peer Perspective video for the #MuseumWithoutWalls.In this instalment, Dr. Christiane Gruber, a professor of Islamic art at the University of Michigan, helps decode a 19th-century Iranian “talismanic chart” in the Aga Khan Museum’s Collection. Viewed from a middle distance, this piece’s colourful and richly detailed geometric patterns dazzle the eye.Studied more closely, the work’s deeply spiritual messages, and its intended purpose as a shield against evil and bad luck, edge into focus — making the 68.5-by-53.5 cm masterpiece of ink on gazelle skin appear even more impressive. To learn more about this object in the Museum’s Collection (accession number AKM536): agakhanmuseum.org/collection/artifact/talismanic-chart-akm536The Museum’s Peer Perspective series features fascinating commentary and little-known facts from globally recognized scholars who have helped us open new windows on the masterworks in our Collection. Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Light with Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis | Aga Khan Museum/YMCA Mindfulness and Education Sessions Aga Khan Museum 2022-01-21 | Through select objects in the Aga Khan Museum’s Collection, Director and CEO Dr. Ulrike Al-Khamis takes viewers on a journey through the Museum, exploring the many practical and spiritual dimensions of light.This session, part of the YMCA-Aga Khan Museum Mindfulness and Education series, was recorded on January 19, 2022.More about the YMCA of Greater Toronto-Aga Khan Museum Mindfulness and Education Sessions: agakhanmuseum.org/programs/mindfulness-and-education-sessionsBringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Tamar Ilana with Benjamin Barrile and Derek Gray at the Aga Khan Museum Aga Khan Museum 2022-01-13 | The Museum’s airy Atrium transforms into a sultry flamenco tablao in this special set from singer-dancer Tamar Ilana. Joined by Ventanas bandmates Benjamin Barrile (guitar) and Derek Gray (percussion), the Toronto-based flamenco maven radiates the passion and joyfully communal spirit of the artform — despite performing for an online-only audience. Tamar Ilana’s December 2021 Museum set was pre-recorded for the City of Toronto’s New Year’s Eve 2022 Livestream Concert. Go here to watch a full recording of the festivities: youtube.com/watch?v=PZwUSt2WevEBringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Mindfulness in Relationships | Aga Khan Museum/YMCA Mindfulness and Education Sessions Aga Khan Museum 2022-01-10 | Bring the calming energy of mindfulness meditation to other parts of your life with the first Museum/YMCA Mindfulness and Education Session of 2022. The same experiences that have become possible through mindfulness meditation can be extended to and observed in relationships. We start with acknowledging a spectrum of relationship challenges that address our own insecurities and aspirations. By applying mindfulness principles and meditation, relationships deemed impossible are placed in a more realistic time perspective on a continuum of healing and reconciliation.The YMCA's Slobodan Stojanovic leads the session, which was presented on January 5, 2022 and recorded on Zoom. Go here to learn more about the Aga Khan Museum/YMCA Mindfulness and Education series: agakhanmuseum.org/programs/mindfulness-and-education-sessionsBringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Peer Perspective: Printed Amulet and Box with Dr. Christiane Gruber Aga Khan Museum 2022-01-05 | Humans have sought protection from pain, harm, and negative forces since time immemorial. In Muslim lands, invocations to God and verses from the Qur’an are believed to be especially protective, and so appear on various objects over the centuries. In this fascinating video by University of Michigan art historian Dr. Christiane Gruber, discover two such amulets held in the Aga Khan Museum that were made to safeguard their owners and wearers: a tiny 11th-century Egyptian printed sheet of paper and a large 19th-century Iranian talismanic chart inked on gazelle skin. Their Arabic-script written and geometric contents also appear on coins, arms and armor, and talismanic shirts, revealing a larger material urge to bring spiritual blessings in close proximity to — and, at times, even absorption into — the physical body.To learn more about this object in the Museum's Collection (accession number AKM508): agakhanmuseum.org/collection/artifact/printed-amulet-with-box-akm508The Museum’s Peer Perspective series features fascinating commentary and little-known facts from globally recognized scholars who have helped us open new windows on the masterworks in our Collection. Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
Changing All the Time | Aga Khan Museum/YMCA Mindfulness and Education Sessions Aga Khan Museum 2021-12-20 | In this Aga Khan Museum/YMCA Mindfulness and Education session, the self-change and self-transcending "project" in life is reframed as part of the constant flow and constant observation of mindfulness meditation. We don’t have to make ourselves change as much as observe the changing that is ongoing and that often follows a naturally intelligent course. This perspective builds on self-befriending, where practice and self-disclosure lead to heeding and respecting the natural intelligence and insight observed in mindfulness meditation. The YMCA's Slobodan Stojanovic leads the session, which was hosted in the Aga Khan Museum on December 8, 2021 and recorded on Zoom. Go here to learn more about the Aga Khan Museum/YMCA Mindfulness and Education series: https://www.agakhanmuseum.org/program...Bringing online Museum experiences to you is part of our mission to connect cultures and promote understanding between peoples. To learn more about how you can support the Museum by making a donation or becoming a Friend or Patron, please visit: agakhanmuseum.org/support
