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The Hidden Art of Islam

Name: The Hidden Art of Islam
Director: Faris Kermani
Released: 2012
Duration: 57 min

Representation Score

6.0/10

Good

2012

TV-PG

Director

Faris Kermani

Runtime

57 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

The documentary succeeds in expanding cultural perspectives by focusing on Islamic identity. By shifting the narrative lens away from traditional Western art canons, it highlights non-Western intellectual and artistic contributions. However, the film's emphasis on theological and historical art traditions means it does not actively engage with LGBTQ+ or gender-specific narratives. Ultimately, the work excels in its cultural and racial framing, offering a globalized understanding of aesthetic history that challenges Western-centric views of art.

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Category Breakdown

Does The Hidden Art of Islam have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The documentary focuses on theological constraints related to figurative art. There are no LGBTQ+ characters or narratives in this religious art history context.

How does The Hidden Art of Islam portray gender?

Fair

The film explores Islamic calligraphy and geometry. While it examines religious constraints, there is no specific evidence showing women's ability to drive the story or challenging gender hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is The Hidden Art of Islam?

Excellent

The film centers on the visual culture of the Islamic world, providing a non-Western perspective. It disrupts Eurocentric art history by highlighting a global, non-Anglo-Saxon cultural legacy.

How does The Hidden Art of Islam represent religion and culture?

Excellent

This documentary prioritizes non-Western religious traditions and validates geometric and calligraphic traditions as high art. It offers a sophisticated look at the intersection of faith and artistic expression.

Does The Hidden Art of Islam include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of subjects or characters with visible or invisible disabilities in the film's subject matter.

Present on Screen

Focuses on non-Western cultural and religious perspectives.
Challenges Eurocentric dominance in art history.
Validates Islamic calligraphic and geometric traditions as high art.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities.
Provides limited evidence of women's ability to drive the story or gendered perspectives.
Does not address disability representation within the narrative.

Official Synopsis

Explore the tradition of figurative art at the heart of Islam with host Rageh Omaar. Muslim belief and tradition specifies that there should be no depictions of God or the Prophet Muhammad. In religious contexts, this constraint on what artists can depict extends to human figures and other living creatures as well. These prohibitions have inspired a rich visual culture based on calligraphy, Arabesque floral designs, and geometry, all of which feature strongly in the art and design found throughout Islam, including in mosques and the Koran. With the help of fine art and religion experts, host Rageh Omaar (The Life of Muhammad) traces the effect of these beliefs over the centuries on the art and artists of the Islamic world and considers why depictions of pilgrims taking part in the Hajj pilgrimage have become part of the accepted tradition of Islamic art, including in work exhibited at the British Museum.

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