Propaganda and ideology in everyday life: Chinese comic books (from the British Library Blog)

The Chinese collection at the British Library includes an interesting series of around 100 comic books published during the 1960s in the People’s Republic of China. They are an excellent historical and linguistic resource and represent an extraordinary example of how official sources can promote selected values and visions among citizens using material which is visually enjoyable or mainly intended for children’s education and entertainment. – See more at: http://britishlibrary.typepad.co.uk/asian-and-african/2015/05/propaganda-and-ideology-in-everyday-life-chinese-comic-books.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+asian-and-african+%28Asia+and+Africa%29#sthash.7bROrMCZ.dpuf

Javier De Riba Spray Paints the Floors of Derelict Buildings With Geometric, Tile-Like Patterns by Kate Sierzputowski on May 28, 2015

Javier de Riba spray paints abandoned buildings, but not in the way you might imagine. Instead of working on the interior or exterior walls of the buildings he finds, de Riba spray paints the floors, mapping out bright geometric patterns both large and small. The patterns de Riba creates look exactly like tiled floors, making it seem like an element of the building’s past has been elegantly restored.

Like a screen printer, de Riba works layer by layer, first painting the entirety of the space he plans to cover, then working one colored stencil at a time to build up the tile-like effect. The end result is a trick to the eyes both with materials and placement, one never expecting that spray paint formed the intricate patterns on the dusty floors.

The artist and creative designer was born in Barcelona and has worked as an art director in various agencies and studios. His current job is at Reskate Arts & Crafts Collective, a company that develops graphics and communication projects with a focus on sustainability and humane treatment. (via Junk Culture)

More: http://www.thisiscolossal.com/2015/05/javier-de-riba-spray-tiles/

Aga Khan Program at Harvard University | Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Cultures of the Islamic World

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Muqarnas 31 is now available from Brill

The Aga Khan Program at Harvard University sponsors publication of scholarly works on the history of Islamic art and architecture. Muqarnas: An Annual on the Visual Cultures of the Islamic World, is a yearly volume of articles on art and architectural history, edited by Professor Gülru Necipoğlu.

http://www.brill.com/products/reference-work/muqarnas-31

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Mi’raj – A Journey of the Soul

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Nizami’s Khamsa’s Five Poems, Tabriz, Iran, 1539–43 depicting the Prophet’s ascent into heaven
(Image: British Library Online Gallery)

Exalted is He who took His Servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al- Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, to show him of Our signs. Indeed, He is the Hearing, the Seeing.
Qur’an 17:1

Miʿrāj, is the legend of the ascension of Prophet Muhammad into heaven, generally celebrated on the 27th day of Rajab, Laylat al-Miʿrāj (“Night of the Ascension”), although there is no unanimous opinion on the precise date The legend states that the Prophet was taken from Mecca to Jerusalem by Angel Gabriel on a winged, white horse, Buraq, from where he ascends through the seven heavens and is greeted by, and in effect validated by the previous Prophets (Adam, Joseph, Aaron, Moses, Abraham, and Jesus). At the culmination, he sees the lote tree, the Divine Throne, the…

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Baghe Babur by F. Zahra Hassan – 2007, London, commissioned by AKDN Kabul, Afghanistan.

125 x 60 cm (approx)

Watercolour gouache, natural pigments, gold and silver leaf on tea stained Wasli paper.

Shalimar Gardens in Lahore: The venue of the first awards of Aga Khan Award for Architecture

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Did you know that the first awards of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture were presented in a garden?

The first awards of the Aga Khan Award for Architecture were presented at the Shalimar Gardens in Lahore, Pakistan on October 23, 1980. Lahore is an ancient city at the crossroads of trade routes linking India, Afghanistan, Arabia and the Persian Gulf. The first Mughal emperor arrived in Lahore from Central Asia in 1524 and made it his base. Lahore eventually became the capital of the Mughal empire when Emperor Akbar the Great moved his court from Ahmedabad in 1584. The construction of the gardens was initiated in 1620 by Shah Jahan, and was further extended by him when he succeeded his father to the throne of the Mughal Empire.

The Mughals refined the Persian language, literature, miniature paintings, and music. They systemized the educational and cultural traditions, and built magnificent…

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Looking again at Lahore’s Walled City

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March 10, 2014 BILAL TANWEER – Excerpt:

Bhati Gate Lahore As a consequence, two years after the project was completed, the locals openly regard the AKTC project leaders as one of their own family members. If there was ever a better testament to genuine development work, I want to know about it.

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New book: Circulations in the Global History of Art

Journal of Art Historiography

Website price:£58.50

(Regular price: £65.00)

Imprint: Ashgate

Illustrations: Includes 16 b&w illustrations and 8 maps

Published: May 2015

Format: 234 x 156 mm

Extent: 262 pages

Binding: Hardback

Other editions:
ebook PDF, ebook ePUB

ISBN: 978-1-4724-5456-0

Short ISBN:9781472454560

BL Reference: 709

LoC Number: 2014040727

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Edited by Thomas DaCosta Kaufmann, Princeton University, USA, Catherine Dossin, Purdue University, USA and Béatrice Joyeux-Prunel, École normale supérieure, France

Series:Studies in Art Historiography

The project of global art history calls for balanced treatment of artifacts and a unified approach. This volume emphasizes questions of transcultural encounters and exchanges as circulations. It presents a strategy that highlights the processes and connections among cultures, and also responds to the dynamics at work in the current globalized art world.

The editors’ introduction provides an account of the historical background to this approach to global art history, stresses…

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