Sufi Rituals in the Middle East and the Balkans
Wednesday, January 06, 2010 By Maryam
This book offers intimate and moving portraits of Sufism as practiced in five countries. Sufism, the mystical tradition of Islam, is as far from the strident and often violent fundamentalist strain of the religion that has so captured world attention as it is possible to be. Sufis in all parts of the Islamic world are broad-minded, tolerant, and non-violent, their quest only to find and approach God through all means, including poetry, music, and dance. Historian Nicolaas Biegman has been observing and photographing Sufi practice and ritual in different Muslim lands for many years, and here in this collection of extraordinary photographs he feels the pulse of the Sufi experience, with its enormous variety in discipline and exuberance, intellectualism and spontaneity, in Egypt, Syria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Macedonia. In accompanying texts he explores what lies behind the rituals, and explains aspects of Sufi life and practice such as the position of women.
Author Biography:
NICOLAAS (NIEK) BIEGMAN holds a Ph.D. in Balkan history, and is an expert on Islam. He has produced a number of photographic books on Egypt, Haiti, Manhattan, and most recently a Sufi community in Skopje (God's Lovers)
“Mirage Landscapes”
Friday, December 04, 2009 By Maryam
Opening Reception: Sunday December 6, 2009 2 – 5 PM
Exhibition Dates: Friday December 4, 2009 – Sunday January 24, 2010
Crossing Art is pleased to announce the opening of Mirage Landscapes: Paintings by Fareen Butt. The Mirage Series is a collection of metaphysical landscapes inspired by the spiritual and mystical concepts of Jerrahi and Ishraqi Sufism, as well as Buddhism. The works explore the perceptions of truth and enlightenment unique to each human being. The rich textures that engulf the artist's large canvases are created through a unique process of combining the Japanese painting technique of Nihonga with Pointillism.
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