(MENAFN- The Peninsula)
Fazeena Saleem
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The Peninsula
Doha: The media Majlis Museum at Northwestern University in Qatar yesterday inaugurated a new exhibition on the complexities and evolving influence of Arabic language.
The mixed-media exhibition, 'The limits of my language are the limits of my world,' focuses on four main themes that provide an engaging experience to the audience. It is curated by cultural producer and Northwestern Qatar alumna Amal Zeyad Ali and open to public until December 5.
The exhibition looks at the Arabic language's complexities, its impact, and its future. It also highlights the challenges Arabic media faces compared to other languages, especially in a digital world dominated by English.
“The inauguration of the new exhibition on Arabic language is a powerful testament to our commitment to excellence, collaboration, and intellectual exploration,” said Marwan M Kraidy, Dean and CEO of Northwestern Qatar in a media statement.
“By delving into the complexities and evolving influence of Arabic, this exhibition not only celebrates the richness of our cultural heritage but also sparks meaningful dialogue on its future.
“It aligns seamlessly with our academic mission, providing a platform for critical discussions that resonate deeply within our community and beyond,” he added.
'The limits of my language are the limits of my world,' is the eighth exhibition to be held at the Media Majlis Museum and it aligns with the museum's mission by using art, media, and technology to explore how the Arabic language is represented today, its historical impact, and its future.
The Peninsula spoke to Alfredo Cramerotti, director of Media Majlis Museum and Amal the curator of the exhibition about the importance and elements of the new exhibition.
Cramerotti said,“This exhibition particularly is important because we really celebrate Arabic language, which precedes Islam and is an important element of the Arab identity. It's beautiful, poetic, very rich in content, and multi-layered.
“Since the opening of the museum five years, this is the first time we have touched upon the idea of the Arabic as a language. So for me it is quite an important exhibition to get off the ground because it brings together a number of elements for what we stand for.”
Amal who is also a Northwestern Qatar graduate with a major in Communications and an interest in museums, highlighted her inspiration to create an exhibition centred on the complexities of the Arabic language. She noted that being in Qatar and associated with the Media Majlis Museum, which is part of Northwestern Qatar and focuses on media, journalism, and communication, highlighted the importance of language in media, whether signed, written, or spoken.
“We wanted to focus specifically on the Arabic language because in 2019 that H H the Amir passed the law on the safeguarding and the protection of the Arabic language mainly in professional settings, both public and private, so that inspired us. And secondly, the museum itself focuses a lot on language. It's one of the threads of the museum and we wanted to kind of doing an exhibition which we have it done before, specifically on that thread,” said Amal.
She expects the visitors to understand that it is important to discuss the Arabic language, regardless of whether they speak it or not.
“This is not only an exhibition for Arabic speakers, it is also an exhibition for non speakers to see how the Arabic language has an influence on them,” said Amal.
The exhibition features commissioned artworks from esteemed artists, including Simon Mortimer, Hala Amer, Karim Jabbari, Zainab Alsabba, and Hussein Alazaat.
It also has contributions from poets like Salwa Sadek and Dana Dajani, and social media influencers such as Salam Katanani, Qasem Elhato, Hebah Nigm, and Cynthia Abou Khalil. The exhibition also features digital content from Al Jazeera, BBC Arabic, and Al Araby TV, alongside animations, comedy skits, music videos, news reports, and talk shows.
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