Playful "Umbrellas" of Islamic Art by Iraqi Artist Wamidh Al Ameri

THE NATIONAL
By Ben East

SWITZERLAND---It must have been a strange sight. One day last month, the Iraqi artist Wamidh Al Ameri stationed himself outside a Jesuit church in the Swiss city of Lucerne. Instead of unpacking his easel and painting one of the most beautiful baroque buildings in Switzerland, he handed passers-by a bright, white umbrella. This, though, was not any old fashioned accessory: there is scripture [Quran] printed on the fabric, with the classic Islamic crescent moon fixed to its tip. Confrontational? Not a bit of it, he insisted. In fact, Al Ameri's intention was actually to demystify Islam by bringing it into focus in such a playful way. [link]

AB Gallery: "Evidence" by Wamidh Al Ameri,  (Ends October 13). Lucerne, Switzerland, ab-gallery.com