Exploration of historical photographs of Makkah, alongside sacred Hindu art and Christianity-focused studies: Louvre Abu Dhabi backing diverse scholarly investigations
Louvre Abu Dhabi has announced its inaugural Fellowships and Grants programme, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at challenging Eurocentric art history and the pre-Islamic Christian heritage of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The programme, which focuses on research projects that expand our understanding of art history and culture, has attracted scholars from around the world and has selected five fellows from a pool of 170 submissions.
The first cohort of fellow scholars will have access to Louvre Abu Dhabi's research centre, conservation centre, and a state-of-the-art scientific library, which is the first of its kind in the Gulf region. The programme offers both short-term and long-term fellowships, with awards of Dh85,000 for a three-month residency and Dh245,000 for a nine-month research project.
One of the long-term fellows is Mizuho Ikeda, a research associate at the Centre of Southeast Asian Studies and a teaching fellow at SOAS. Ikeda's project, Universal Museums and Religious Diversity: A Comparative Analysis of Exhibition Practices at Louvre Abu Dhabi and Museums in Asia, explores how Hindu and Buddhist artworks are presented at Louvre Abu Dhabi.
Helena Barranha, a Portuguese professor at the Instituto Superior Tecnico in the University of Lisbon and a researcher at the Institute of Art History of the NOVA University of Lisbon's Faculty of Social and Human Sciences, is one of the fellows, but the nature of her project is not specified in the text. Barranha's project, The Multiple Images of a Cosmopolitan Museum: Mapping the Visual Representations and Architectural Reinterpretations of Louvre Abu Dhabi, examines how the museum's architecture reflects cultural convergence and is reinterpreted by the public, particularly through social media.
Suhaila Almansoori, an Emirati historian and cultural heritage professional, is currently pursuing a master's degree in archaeology and cultural heritage at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. Almansoori's research builds on her archaeological fieldwork at Al Sulaimi in the Al Ain region and the Christian monastery from the sixth or seventh century uncovered at Siniya Island in Umm Al Quwain. Almansoori's project, Pre-Islamic Christian Heritage in the United Arab Emirates: An Evaluation of the Siniya Island Archaeological Site, focuses on a rare palm frond basket coated with bitumen discovered earlier this year.
Hamid Keshmirshekan, a senior scholar at Columbia University and a former teaching fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, is one of the short-term fellows. Keshmirshekan's project, De-centring the Canon: Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Challenge to Eurocentric Art History, investigates how Louvre Abu Dhabi incorporates modern and contemporary Middle Eastern artists into its universal narrative.
Rhomaillessa Talhaoui, a French-Moroccan scholar, traces how early photographs of Makkah between 1880 and 1920 moved through colonial, religious, and commercial networks in her project, The Transimperial Circulation of Early Pictures of Makkah (1880-1920).
The initiative supports new inquiry in the fields of art history, museum studies, heritage science, conservation, and archaeology. By fostering a polyphony of cultural perspectives, especially those from the Global South, the programme aims to enrich our understanding of the museum's collection and contribute to the ongoing dialogue about the role of museums in shaping our perception of culture and history.
In addition to the fellowships, Louvre Abu Dhabi is also offering grants to support research projects that align with the museum's mission. The grants are open to scholars, artists, and curators from around the world and will be awarded through a competitive application process.
The Louvre Abu Dhabi's Fellowships and Grants programme is a testament to the museum's commitment to fostering a global dialogue about art, culture, and history. By bringing together scholars from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, the programme seeks to challenge Eurocentric narratives and promote a more inclusive and nuanced understanding of the world's cultural heritage.
