Analysis: The world’s first Islamic art biennale shines a light on Muslim African artists

The Conversation interviews honorary Professor Sumayya Vally (UCL Bartlett School of Architecture), the artistic director of the inaugural Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, highlighting African artists and architects. What is the importance of an Islamic biennale? The field of "Islamic art" was defined by Europeans in the 1800s - and hinged on geography, style and historical chronology. So it was inherited from definitions outside the faith. It's my hope that this biennale puts forth a different definition of and for Islamic arts - one that recognises Islamic philosophies for our present and future, and one that honours the daily lived experiences of the Muslim world. It is important that we acknowledge that Islamic faith, Islamic practice and Islamic tradition can and should be making a creative contribution to the world. The biennale's theme of Awwal Bait refers to the reverence and symbolic unity evoked by the Ka'bah in Makkah (often referred to as the Kaaba shrine in Mecca), the centre of Islamic rituals. A big part of what this biennale aims to demonstrate is that Islamic practice is rooted in collective rituals and experiences of community and belonging.