Thursday, Sep. 24, 2015 – Sunday, Dec. 6, 2015
Rice University Art Gallery presents Intersections, the 2014 ArtPrize award-winning installation by Pakistani-American artist Anila Quayyum Agha.
Agha uses light and cast shadow to transform the gallery into a place that alludes to Islamic sacred spaces dense with geometric ornamentation and pattern.
Intersections is inspired by Agha’s visit to the Alhambra, an Islamic palace originally built in 889 in Granada, Spain. Struck by the grandeur of the space, Agha reflected upon her childhood in Lahore, Pakistan where culture dictated that women were excluded from the mosque, a place of creativity and community, and instead prayed at home. Agha translates these contradictory feelings into Intersections, a contemplative space of her own making that is open to all.
Image: Anila Quayyum Agha, Intersections (detail), 2013 6.5’ cube, laser-cut wood, black Lacquer, light bulb, cast shadows 46'x46’x16’ Photo: Michael Hoefle
About the Exhibition
About the Artist
Anila Quayyum Agha was born in Lahore, Pakistan in 1965. She received her BFA from the National College of Arts, Lahore, and an MFA in Fiber Arts from the University of North Texas in 2001. She has had solo exhibitions in the United States, United Arab Emirates, and Pakistan. Residencies and awards include the New Frontiers Exploratory Research Grant, Indiana University (2013); New Frontiers Travel Grants to Mazatlan, Mexico (2012), Spain (2011), and Pakistan (2010); and a Houston Center for Contemporary Craft residency (2005).
Intersections was awarded the Public Vote Grand Prize and split the Juried Grand Prize in a tie at the 2014 ArtPrize competition in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Agha is currently an associate professor of drawing at the Herron School of Art & Design at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis.
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HOURS & ADMISSION
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Tuesday - Saturday, 10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Hours change based on exhibition.
Directions & Parking
- Paid Parking
- The Moody Center for the Arts is located on the campus of Rice University, and is best reached by using Campus Entrance 8 at the intersection of University Boulevard and Stockton Street. As you enter campus, the building is on the right, just past the Media Center. There is a dedicated parking lot adjacent to the building. Payment for the Moody Lot is by credit card only. Maps are available at rice.edu/maps
Special Offers / Dining
Moody Cafe
Enjoy a coffee, beverage, or light bite to eat at the Moody Cafe, operated by Lemond Kitchen. The Cafe is open Tuesday-Saturday (check website for seasonal hours). Visitors are also invited to use the laptop bar overlooking the Central Gallery (with free wi-fi).
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