Intricate, beautiful works by Perth based papercutting artist Tusif Ahmad are on display in a new exhibition opening today at the Islamic Museum of Australia.

Through his Bismillah series, Tusif Ahmad employs his signature devotional papercutting to create intricate, dreamlike worlds laden with spiritual symbology.

Islamic Museum of Australia General Manager Ali Fahour said the Museum welcomes the opportunity to highlight more of Ahmad’s work.

“Tusif Ahmad’s piece, The Doors of Heaven, is one of the most-loved works in the Museum. Our visitors are constantly in awe of both the beauty and the detail, so we’re very excited to showcase more of his work.” said Mr Fahour.

One of the features of papercutting is that each section of the work is cut from a single sheet of paper, which remains intact while the artist works within a binary of removing either positive or negative space.

IMA Head Curator Jake Carter said papercutting is a traditional folk art employed around the globe.

“The investigative urge to manipulate the page beyond the surface is common to a diverse range of countries including China, Germany, Poland and Mexico,” said Mr Carter.

While the artist has exhibited in Western Australia, Pakistan and throughout the Middle East, he said Bismillah is his first solo exhibition at the Museum.

“I’m pleased to be exhibiting at the Islamic Museum of Australia. I add Islamic traditions including Arabic calligraphy to my works, so it is fitting they should be displayed at the Islamic Museum,” said Mr Ahmad.

Bismillah is on display from 15 November 2018 – 16 February 2019 and selected works are available for purchase.

The Islamic Museum of Australia is located in Thornbury, in Melbourne’s north. It is the only Islamic museum in the country and provides educational and cross-cultural experiences for all ages. The Museum is open 10am – 4pm, Tuesday to Saturday.

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