Imagine Me and You: Dutch and Flemish Encounters with the Islamic World, 1450–1750
Discover a story of cross-cultural artistic connection over 300 years between the Dutch, the Flemish, and the Islamic world. The exhibition "Imagine Me and You," on view May 18–August 18, unveils the vibrancy of multicultural exchange between the Low Countries (roughly modern-day Belgium and the Netherlands), then part of the Habsburg empire, and the Islamic world, in particular the Ottoman, Safavid, and Mughal empires that concurrently controlled much of Central and Southeast Europe; North Africa; and South, West, and Central Asia. Prompted by the rich diversity of these empires, the exhibition explores a wide range of artistic, cultural, diplomatic, and mercantile interactions that took place either in person or through the peaceful exchange of objects, art, and ideas over the course of three centuries. This exhibition disrupts the persistent notion that war—in particular, religious strife between Christians and Muslims—dominated interactions between the Low Countries and the Islamic world.
"Imagine Me and You" traces these multiple encounters through the world of Netherlandish artworks and their varied representations of the Islamic realm. Looking also at the ways in which contemporary Ottoman fashion played a role in biblical and historical scenes by Netherlandish artists, the exhibition invites viewers to reflect on the profound impact these interactions have had on crafting shared history. This dynamic interplay between cultures unearths revelations about individual heritage and the broader global community. While acknowledging the complexity of establishing the origin of certain hybrid objects, the exhibition ultimately suggests that it is more important to amplify and celebrate these objects’ multicultural and multifaceted characteristics.