Jan 15
The Manifest, The Hidden: Geometry and Islam in Contemporary Art
The Manifest, The Hidden explores the entanglement of Geometry and Islam in the practices of eleven contemporary artists based across the Middle East, North America, and Europe. While Geometry and Islam are often perceived as rigid systems, this exhibition invites audiences to see them anew as rich, expansive languages for expressing beauty and wonder.
Exhibition as Collaborative Teaching Project
This interdisciplinary exhibition is curated by Sara Cluggish (Museum Director), Kambiz GhaneaBassiri (Professor of Religion), Kamala GhaneaBassiri ’22 (candidate for master’s in Religion and Visual Arts at Yale Divinity School), and MurphyKate Montee (Assistant Professor of Mathematics).
Students in Professor GhaneaBassiri’s Fall 2025 Sensory Cultures of Religion course researched the artists and drafted wall labels to accompany each artwork. During Winter 2026, students in Professor Montee’s Geometries course will create “math trails”, approachable mathematical prompts responding to specific artworks. Professor Montee has also designed a series of making stations placed throughout the galleries. Together, the artworks, texts, and activities invite visitors to experience Geometry and Islam as exploratory, living practices.
This exhibition was made possible with generous research support from The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.