Pakistani artist wins prestigious Islamic art award in Istanbul

Ghulam Mohammad becomes first artist from Pakistan to win Jameel Prize

Pakistani artist Ghulam Mohammad has won the prestigious Jameel Prize 4 award for his works in contemporary Islamic art.

In a ceremony held at the Pera Museum in Istanbul, Mohammad, who uses words and language as a medium to create paper collage, was awarded for his five works of paper collage – four untitled and one titled Gunjaan (2014).

The judges felt that Mohammad’s work stood out for its excellence of concept and execution.



Congratulating Mohammad on his win, President of Community Jameel International, Fady Jameel said, “We would like to congratulate Ghulam Mohammad, the first artist from Pakistan to win the Jameel Prize. Using second-hand books, Mohammad’s intricate collages of paper cuttings of Urdu script pasted on Wasli paper create new meanings and celebrate the great heritage of Islamic art, craft and design. The vision of the Jameel Prize is to promote artists who explore traditional Islamic influences through contemporary art.”

The prize was presented by Ayşe and Ece Ege, founders of Turkish fashion label Dice Kayek and winners of Jameel Prize 3.

Mohammad, who lives in Lahore, works for almost 20 hours a day, seven days a week.

The Jameel Prize is an international award for contemporary art and design inspired by Islamic tradition. It aims to explore the relationship between Islamic traditions of art, craft and design and contemporary work as part of a wider debate about Islamic culture and its role in the present day.

Organised by the Victoria and Albert Museum, London in partnership with Art Jameel, the Jameel Prize, worth £25,000, was first awarded in 2009 and is held every two years.

Work by the finalists is being exhibited until August 14 at the Pera Museum, Istanbul, Turkey.

This year over 280 nominations for the Jameel Prize 4 were received and eleven artists and designers were shortlisted from various countries, including Afghanistan, Mali, Puerto Rico and Thailand.