Venetia Porter – författare

Conflict does more than destroy physical spaces. It extinguishes lives, erases histories and disrupts the collective memory of entire communities. In Gaza, where genocide has wrought catastrophic loss, the destruction of heritage adds another dimension of devastation. Yet amid the rubble, acts of archiving, art-making and storytelling persist.Archiving Gaza in the Present brings together voices from Palestine and beyond to document the cultural erasure and to explore how creative and archival practices resist it. Contributions from curators, architects, artists, journalists, lawyers and scholars capture Gaza’s once-vibrant cultural life – historic buildings, art centres, universities and museums that existed before October 2023 – now turned to rubble.Featuring rich visual material – from fragmented WhatsApp testimonies to forensic documentation – and including artworks, maps and photographs, Archiving Gaza in the Present is both a living archive and a call to action. It is a vital resource for understanding Gaza’s cultural survival amid destruction.In partnership with the Arab British Centre.Contributors include Selma Dabbagh, Salman Abu Sitta, Shareef Sarhan, Hazem Harb, Malak Mattar, Marc-André Haldimann, Nadia Yaqub, Omar Al-Qattan, Kegham Djeghalian, Caitlin Procter, Atef Alshaer, Shatha Safi, Yara Sharif and Nasser Golzar.

This collection of essays was put together to honour a lifetime's academic achievement by Professor G. Rex Smith, arabist, historian and scholar of the medieval history of the Yemen. Written by his friends, colleagues and former students, these essays reflect his wide ranging interests in the history and culture of Arabia from the pre-Islamic era until modern times. Focusing principally on the region covered by present-day Saudi Arabia and the Yemen, the topics include epigraphy, philology, architecture, anthropology, customary law, and aspects of the history of medieval Yemen. Together these essays offer an insight into the many important aspects of research being undertaken into the rich and fascinating culture of this region.

Introduces a previously unpublished major collection of Islamic, Modern, and Contemporary Middle Eastern art, notable for its exceptional range and breadth from earliest times to the present   The Farjam Collection of Islamic, and Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern art, comprising over 5,000 artworks, is well known in the Middle East and to the cognoscenti but has remained unpublished until now. This two-volume publication published in four books comprises over 800 highlights from the collection, introducing it as a major resource for scholars, students, and bibliophiles. Unusual amongst collections of Islamic art, the exceptional range and breadth of this collection includes the arts of the Islamic world from earliest times up to and including the contemporary Middle East. This unique characteristic, represented across the themes of both volumes, provides an unusual cross-cultural experience demonstrating continuity, dialogue and influences—from within as well as in between the cultures—throughout centuries. Organised thematically with high quality photography, the book reflects current trends in the study of Islamic and Contemporary art through essays and entries written by eminent scholars.

A showcase of 500 highlights of the Farjam Collection, featuring painting, works on paper, photography, sculpture, installations, and videos  The Farjam Collection of Islamic, and Modern and Contemporary Middle Eastern art, comprising over 5,000 artworks owned by Dr Farhad Farjam, is a major collection well known in the Middle East and to the cognoscenti, but which has remained unpublished until now. This two-volume boxed set examines around 500 highlights from the Farjam Collection of Modern and Contemporary art from the Arab and Iranian worlds. Showcased with high-quality photography throughout, the expansive collection encompasses a wide variety of media, including painting, works on paper, photography, sculpture, installations, and videos. It features numerous treasures from across the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, including works by modern and contemporary artists such Dia al-Azzawi, Hassan Sharif, Mohamed Melehi, Bahman Mohassess, Hussein Bicar, Kadhim Haidar, Baya Mahieddine, Ayman Baalbaki, Rashid Rana, Fahrelnissa Zeid, Farhad Moshiri, Dana Awartani, Mounir Fatmi, Shezad Dawood, Mona Saudi, Susan Hefuna, Shirin Neshat, Mahmoud Said, and Sohrab Sepehri.  Bringing together historians, critics, and curators from around the globe to reflect on these works, through essays, entries, and interviews with leading artists, this volume demonstrates how this extraordinary collection highlights important trends and histories of modern and contemporary art of the Arab world, Iran, Turkey, and beyond.

This illustrated introduction offers a fresh approach to the history of the Islamic world from its origins to the present day. Told in six chapters, arranged both chronologically and thematically, and richly enhanced with outstanding images, it provides an illuminating insight into the material culture produced from West Africa to Southeast Asia through art and artefacts, people and places. From pre-Islamic works that provided a foundation for the arts of Islam to masterpieces produced under the great empires and objects that continue to be made today, this expansive survey traces the development of civilizations at the forefront of philosophical and scientific ideas, artistic and literary developments, and technological innovations, exploring a wealth of cultural treasures along the way. Texts are accompanied by a wide variety of objects, including architectural decoration, ceramics, jewellery, metalwork, calligraphy, textiles, musical instruments, coins, illustrated manuscripts, and modern and contemporary art, all of which shed new light on the Islamic world both past and present. This book will inspire and inform anyone interested in one of the most influential and diverse cultures of the world.

A collection of outstanding and fascinating artists’ books revealing the inspirations and concerns of a group of remarkable contemporary artists. ‘More than a simple reflection of the British Museum’s artist-book holdings, this is an important index of artists’ responses to the issues and circumstances that have shaped the Arab world in recent times.’ – ArtReview ‘A rare treat…a passionate and extremely well organized analysis of over 60 artists’ books from the [British] Museum’s collection.’ – The Markaz Review In the hands of artists and poets, books have been taking a radically different form since the advent of the artist’s book in Paris in the early 20th century. Appearing in a variety of shapes and sizes, as one-offs or small print editions, books offer artists and poets a novel form of expression. In the words of Indian artist Nalini Malani (b. 1946), the book is ‘a carrier of experience’, in which whole worlds are encapsulated. In this beautifully produced book, works made by artists from Beirut to Tunis and beyond highlight the relationship between artists and writers and the influences that inform their work, from family to politics and everything in between. Lebanese artist Abed Al Kadiri (b. 1984) conceived his book during the first month of the pandemic to explore his family history, while through the eyes of Iraqi artist Kareem Risan (b. 1960) we see the shocking aftermath of a deadly explosion on the streets of Baghdad in 2005. These artists also find inspiration in classical poetry and literature. Some of their works respond to and are informed by the medieval Persian poetry of Rumi and Hafez, as well as the tales of The Thousand and One Nights.

The first and only book on one of the finest private collections of contemporary Iranian artThis sumptuous volume features almost 250 contemporary artworks and a selection of medieval and early modern Islamic art - the heralded collection of Mohammed Afkhami, a prominent player at the cultural and regional front line of Middle Eastern art. Honar (meaning 'art' in Farsi, the language of Iran), includes works ranging from the disturbingly subversive to exquisitely inclusive, exhibiting the pain of exile, the querying of ideology, and the artistic insistence on personal independence.

In 1995, remarkable contents of a 17th-century shipwreck began to be discovered by divers of the South West Maritime Archaeological Group off Salcombe Bay. The finds consist of over 400 gold coins of the Sa‘dian Sharifs of Morocco in addition to ingots, jewellery as well as other items including Dutch pewter and pottery subsequently acquired by the British Museum. Although the ship has not survived, the divers discovered remnants of wood, rope and lead that were parts of its infrastructure. The finds from this shipwreck are significant for several reasons: the gold is clearly a bullion hoard and the number of Sa‘dian coins within it offer new insights into the numismatic history of the period. In addition, examples of 16th−17th century Moroccan jewellery from this period rarely survive in datable contexts. Alongside these gold items are objects which provide a fascinating insight into everyday life on board ship, including personal possessions and the rare survival of resin-coated pills and faba beans.Whilst there was much debate at the time of discovery about the origin and identity of the ship, it became clear from analysis of the objects that a Dutch origin was the most likely. Research undertaken for this publication has now revealed the identity of the ship – the Dom van Keulen, a Dutch trading ship which is reported to have sunk off the coast of Salcombe in 1633. This multi-authored book therefore not only offers a detailed record of the find and the process of recovery, but provides important context for the history of the period: the fabulous wealth and architecture of the Sa ‘dian Sharifs, the trade in African gold as well as tangible evidence of a flourishing maritime trade in the 17th century, connecting Morocco, the Low Countries and Britain.

'Thea's are the only clothes I never throw away.' Joan Collins Thea Porter (1927 - 2000) came to epitomize bohemian chic in 1970s London, developing a unique aesthetic that drew on an eclectic mix of luxurious fabrics, signature dresses and Soho laissez-faire. Born in Jerusalem, she began working as an interior designer before setting up shop on London's Greek Street. Over the course of several years, she established her combination of fashion and interior design, cultivating clients such as Pink Floyd and The Beatles, alongside Faye Dunaway, Elizabeth Taylor and Barbara Streisand - as well as working for royal patrons including Princess Margaret and the empress of Iran, Farah Diba. Porter was promoted in New York by Vogue editor-in-chief Diana Vreeland and her clothes were sold in Giorgio Beverly Hills, while at the same time she was a frequent visitor to the Colony Room, London, the drinking club habituated by Lucien Freud, Francis Bacon and George Melly. Published to accompany the exhibition, Thea Porter: Bohemian Chic at the Fashion & Textile Museum, London, from 6 February to 3 May 2015.