Exhibition Review: The Inner Apartment

The Inner Apartment is an exhibition shown in association with the National Museum of Australia’s exhibition So That You Might Know Each Other (STYMKEO), an exhibition previously covered here on NowUC.

Curated by Nur Shkembi and displayed at the incredibly elegant Nishi Gallery, The Inner Apartment explores the fractured, sacred and mundane beauty found in contemporary Australian Muslim art. But is this a must-see addition to STYMKEO that adds to the experience? Or is it just a supplementary addition rather than an essential one? NowUC writer Jordan McSweeney found out what it was all about…

‘The Inner Apartment’ with works by Shireen Taweel, Hoda Afshar, Leila El Rayes; curated by Nur Shkembi opens Friday 20 April at 6PM #nishigallery @shireen_taweel @hodaafshar @dingbatbabe @nurshkembi Image – ‘Twofold’ by Hoda Afshar from her series ‘In The Exodus I Love You More’.

A post shared by Nishi Gallery | Canberra (@nishigallery) on Apr 9, 2018 at 6:04pm PDT

For starters, STYMKEO is all about the history of Muslims and the Islamic faith. While the art at the Inner Apartment exhibition is beautiful, spiritual and deeply personal, it’s all from modern day artists, like Shireen Taweel, Hoda Afshar and Leila El Rayes.

If this truly was meant to serve as a companion piece to STYMKEO like it was billed as, then some older, more ancient art would’ve definitely helped with tying the two exhibits closer together.

However, this isn’t too much of a complaint, as the frequent adoption of traditional motifs, narratives and symbols do somewhat help bridge this gap.

STYMKEO also celebrates the achievements and culture of the Islamic people. Thankfully, this is an area The Inner Apartment adds to and expands on in spades.

By tackling how the personal matters of Muslims have has been compelled into the public domain, the artists help you understand how their identities and very existence have become a constant object of public debate, which goes far beyond STYMKEO’s goal of just helping visitors appreciate their culture.

Opening tonight! ‘The Inner Apartment’ with works by Shireen Taweel, Hoda Afshar, Leila El Rayes; curated by Nur Shkembi 6PM to 8PM Image – ‘Crease’ by Hoda Afshar from her series ‘In The Exodus I Love You More’ @shireen_taweel @hodaafshar @dingbatbabe @nurshkembi #nishigallery

A post shared by Nishi Gallery | Canberra (@nishigallery) on Apr 19, 2018 at 7:41pm PDT

This exhibition is definitely worth checking out if you enjoyed STYMKEO. While I believe the connection between the actual content of the two events suffers a little from a generational difference, the similarity of themes and how well they work together make this an important addition for fans looking to further enhance their experience.

The Inner Apartment is free for all ages and runs from Friday the 20^th of April to Sunday the 22^nd of July. You can find out more here.