From now until early September, there are two outdoor art installations at the Aga Khan Museum. First, “Muqarnas, Form and Light” is a photography exhibit in Aga Khan Park that showcases the images of muqarnas taken by Glenn McArthur.
Muqarnas are three dimensional details found in Islamic architecture especially in mosques and madrassas (schools). They are usually found incorporated into the top of vaulted structures such as domes and doorways. Often they look like honeycombs. They can be made of many different materials such as stone, stucco, and plaster.
below: From the Abd Al-Aziz Khan Madrassa in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, is this painted plaster muqarna. The blue and gold representing the sky is at the top.
below: And a closer look at the painted details. It was originally built in 1652 and then restored in 1993.
below: A carved stone muqarna covers a portal in the Al Rifa-i Mosque in Cairo, Egypt, built in 1912.
below: Decorated in dark blues and gold, this muqarna is found in the funerary complex commission by Çoban Mustafa Pasa, the vizier and son-in-law of Ottoman Sultan Selim 1 who reigned 1512 to 1520. It is in Gebze Turkey.
below: Stucco muqarnas arches in the Court of the Lions at Alhambra Palace, Grenada Spain, late 14th century.
below: Close up look at part of a wooden muqarna from the Cappella Palantina (Palatine Chapel) in Palermo, Sicily (Italy). Although it was commissioned by a Christian monarch, Roger II of Sicily (reigned 1130-1154), it includes Byzantine and Islamic elements. Roger II was also a Norman but during his reign Sicily was very multicultural. It is a rare example of a muqarna in a non-Islamic building and is the oldest surviving wood muqarna.
More of McArthur’s muqarna images can be seen on his Instagram page – mcmuqarnas
Also outside, but on the other side of the museum is another art installation.
This one is the work of Tracey-May Chambers and it is constructed with red wool, silk, and cotton yarn. It consists of a circle made of connected knit and crocheted circles and within that circle there is a butterfly waiting to emerge.
It is one of 100 installations that Chambers is doing across the country for Hope And Healing Canada. The red yard connects the elements and is a reminder that we are all connected too.
Both the “Light and Form” exhibit and Chambers’ crochet installation will remain until 7 September 2025.
as I walk Toronto 