Interview Directory 

ART

Name: Bita Pourvash

Occupation: Aga Khan Museum Associate Curator

Name: Marianne Fenton

Occupation: Aga Khan Museum Special Projects Curator

AM: Ms. Pourvash and Ms. Fenton, how has light shaped history?

Bita Pourvash: We all live with light. It is a universal element that we depend on, the basis of our lives, starting with photosynthesis. Historically, light was also a way for people to tell the time, to orientate themselves under the constellations of light in the sky. So light is in our DNA. Because of its significance, it also has a symbolic meaning that is shared by the whole of humanity, different traditions, cultures and faiths.

 “Light not only helps us to see, but also influences how we see and what we see.“

Marianne Fenton: The importance of light is reflected in how different faith traditions express their spirituality, how light is used and the meaning and symbolism attached to light. We are talking here about enlightenment. In art, the meaning of light finds its way in really interesting ways. A halo, for example, is depicted through the use of gold, it indicates holiness, wisdom, knowledge and understanding. In Caravaggio and Baroque art, the eye is drawn to where the artist wants the viewer to focus. In Muslim art traditions, on the other hand, light is rather diffuse, it seems to surround us.

Today, of course, the representation of light in art has changed and our exhibition is primarily contemporary: the stories are told through the use of actual light and reflective surfaces. Light not only helps us to see, but also influences how we see and what we see.

A Thousand Silent Moments (Rain Forest), Anila Quayyum Agha, Aga Khan Museum

 ©Toni Hafkenscheid

Your Space Embracer, Olafur Eliasson, Aga Khan Museum ©Toni Hafkenscheid

“We see not only with our eyes, but also with our hearts and minds.“

Bita Pourvash: In the exhibition we want to show that we not only see with our eyes, but also with our hearts and minds. That was our message and our key concept. We looked at various artists who primarily use light in their works. We researched which properties of light they depict or capture in their works, but also what messages they convey with their works. This is our temporary exhibition. In our own collection, we also have an area where we look at historical artworks through the lens of Islamic art. This is about the symbolic meaning of light in Islamic art and in Muslim traditions and cultures. It is also about how people in the past looked at the sky and used the light of the sky. We also show the historical artwork of the Muslim scholar Ibn al-Haytham, known as the father of modern optics. He shaped the history of vision, including the lenses that form the basis of today's cameras.

Marianne Fenton: Our large Atrium surrounds an inner courtyard whose walls are glazed from floor to ceiling, almost like a crystal in the centre of the Museum. Artist Kimsooja has created an installation here, To Breathe, and covered all the surfaces with a special diffraction grid. White light falls through the grid and is transformed into a rainbow of colours. This draws attention to the fleeting qualities of light. Suddenly we see the light in a way we don't normally see it, and our attention is drawn to what surrounds us, the ordinary, the everyday, what we have forgotten to perceive at all, suddenly becomes perceptible. For us, it is a symbol of pluralism at the heart of the Museum. Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha’s work, A Thousand Silent Moments (Rain Forest), on the other hand, deals with the opposing elements of light and shadow. The shadow is only created by the light.

“For us, it was interesting not only because it plays with perception, but also because it reminds us that we can't always rely on what we see. It is not always the truth.”

Could you also tell me something about the work of Anish Kapoor? Here in Düsseldorf we remember him for the red sculptures he set up in Tony Cragg's Waldfrieden sculpture park. How does he work with light?

Marianne Fenton: Anish Kapoor has such a wide-ranging oeuvre that it is difficult to describe him. Our two Anish Kapoor works are not a source of light, but they deal with how we see. His sculptures, Mirror (Mipa Blue to Organic Green), are one and a half-meter tall concave disk. When you approach it, you imagine seeing everything upside down, but you begin to see yourself almost as a projected form. For us, it was interesting not only because it plays with perception, but also because it reminds us that we can't always rely on what we see. It is not always the truth. The light enters our eye, hits the disc in our eye and is then projected back onto the retina. It's like a big human disc. So the light affects what we see and how we see and sometimes what we understand about ourselves.

Mirror (Mipa Blue to Organic Green), Anish Kapoor, Aga Khan Museum

©Toni Hafkenscheid

mazinibii’igan / a creation, Tannis Nielsen, Aga Khan Museum ©Toni Hafkenscheid

Your Space Embracer, Olafur Eliasson Aga Khan Museum

©Toni Hafkenscheid

“She drew on her own childhood memories of seeing an explosion in real time in Iran and realising how beautiful it was, but how terrifying at the same time.”

What effect does the exhibition have on people, do you notice a calming effect?

Bita Pourvash: It's a very engaging environment. Some of the rooms are really calming and allow the visitor to escape a little because you are surrounded by colour, light and tranquility. But light can also be destructive. Sanaz Mazinani’s Threshold deals with explosions from various Hollywood films, which she abstracts into a visual kaleidoscope - it's beautiful to look at. But here she drew on her own childhood memories of seeing an explosion in real time in Iran and realising how beautiful it was, but how terrifying at the same time. The exhibition ends with Two Corners by American artist Phillip K. Smith III, which is an infinite space of colour combinations - a place to reflect on your experiences during the exhibition. The various installations draw attention to different aspects of life, including emotions. His piece changes from red tones to green tones to blue tones and pink tones.

As soon as our visitors enter our museum, they are in dialogue with the light in various ways. That was important for our 10th anniversary. Light is also an important aspect of our architecture. As soon as our visitors enter the Museum, they are in dialogue with light in various ways. The architect was given His Highness's vision to build the Museum around the theme of light: every single element, from the white granite stones, the reflecting pool, to the Atrium, the centrepiece of the museum, everything has been designed to bring light into the museum. Even the angle of the museum was placed to capture the light in the building as much as possible.

“I don't know how Olafur does it. It's remarkable how he can turn that kind of simplicity into something that is so incredibly complex and compelling.”

What can you tell us about the work of Olafur Eliasson?

Bita Pourvash: In the centre of the room hangs a ring that is activated by a motor and simply rotates. The projector shines on the ring, causing a shadow on the wall and another reflection of a round circle that moves through the room like a lighthouse, shrinking and then expanding again, shrinking again, and looping. Visitors look at the secondary cause of the installation. So it draws our attention back to the source, to the cause, to the bigger picture. We were really looking forward to installing Eliasson's work and when we had it with us, it exceeded our expectations. It is so elegant and simple and yet has such a strong impact. I don't know how Olafur does it. It's remarkable how he can turn that kind of simplicity into something that is so incredibly complex and compelling.

Why didn't you consider James Turell?

Marianne Fenton: Well, we did. James Turrell is very, very important for the movement of light and space. But in the end we decided in favour of the contemporary artist Philip K. Smith, who is important in the movement of light and space and who was also strongly influenced by James Turrell.

My last question would be what is your favourite task of the day at the museum?

Marianne Fenton: My favourite task of the day is to walk through the exhibition and see how people experience the artworks. What we really want to show people is that we are all interculturally connected.

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Aga Khan Museum in Toronto, Courtesy Aga Khan Museum

The Atrium ©Toni Hafkenscheid

To Breathe, Kimsooja, Aga Khan Museum ©Toni Hafkenscheid

Two Corners, Phillip K. Smith III, Aga Khan Museum ©Toni Hafkenscheid

The Matriarch: Unraveled Threads, Mallory Lowe Mpoka, Aga Khan Museum ©Toni Hafkenscheid