LONDON.- The V&A announces that The Jameel Prize, an exhibition of contemporary artists and designers inspired by Islamic traditions of craft and design will now tour to five venues in the Middle East, including the National Museum, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (23 – 31 January 2010) and the Beit ed- Dine Palace, Lebanon (Summer 2010), plus venues in Damascus, Casablanca and Istanbul. It will be the first ever exhibition the V&A has sent on tour to Saudi Arabia, Lebanon and Morocco.

The Jameel Prize is a £25,000 international art prize launched by the V&A in 2009 and is the first award of its kind. The inaugural prize was won by New York-based Iranian-born artist Afruz Amighi for her submission, 1001 Pages (2008), and will be shown alongside works by the eight shortlisted artists and designers.

The Jameel Prize is awarded every two years. Entry is by nomination, and the Prize is open to artists and designers of any nationality and creed. Over 100 nominations were made for the first Prize in 2009, and the names put forward came from countries as diverse as the USA, Germany, Lebanon, Uzbekistan and China. The Prize aims to raise awareness of the thriving interaction between contemporary practice and the rich artistic heritage of Islam, and to contribute to a broader debate about Islamic culture.

The nine artists and designers represented are Hamra Abbas, Reza Abedini, Afruz Amighi, Sevan Bıçakçı, Hassan Hajjaj, Khosrow Hassanzadeh, Susan Hefuna, Seher Shah and Camille Zakharia. Their work is varied, reflecting the richness and diversity of the Islamic traditions that inspired them. Ranging from jewellery and photomontage to turned wood and screen prints, their contributions show how dynamic Islamic tradition can be, and how complex and eloquent the art and design inspired by this tradition has become.

The Jameel Prize is sponsored by Mohammed Abdul Latif Jameel, who conceived the idea after providing the financial support for the renovation of the V&A’s Jameel Gallery of Islamic Art, which opened in July 2006. The tour will be supported by Abdul Latif Jameel Community Service Programmes (ALJCSP) throughout.

Mark Jones, Director of the V&A, said: “The Jameel Prize builds on the success of the V&A’s Jameel Gallery, which has housed our outstanding collection of Islamic art since 2006. The Gallery helps people appreciate one of the great civilisations of the past, while the Prize shows how vigorous and inspiring Islamic traditions remain today. We are delighted that the Jameel Prize exhibition is now travelling to the Middle East. The tour is part of our wide-ranging programme of international activities, designed to develop links around the world and promote cultural understanding.”