And so Baghdad's first Sadrist art exhibition, titled "Beacons of Humanity," collected 80 works of art by 39 Iraqi artists and displayed them for three days on the eve of a Shiite holiday commemorating the martyrdom of the Prophet Muhammad's grandson, Imam Hussein, which culminates in Karbala on Monday.
The first sentence of explanation provided by the British Museum is very telling: "The practice and experience of beliefs are natural to all people". From prayer flags to a Leeds United kippah, from water jugs to processional chariots, this exhibition tells the story of humanity's innate and passionate desire to make sense of the world beyond the strictly empirical.
I was dazzled by the exhibition – the humanity of it, and the unsung, unseen, but great beauty of it.
Unlike the pavilions that form the official exhibition of the Biennale, the Pavilion of Humanity is not rooted in, or promoted by, a single country, and the show's curator, Gillian Fox, emphasised the significance of the collaboration between a Muslim artist and a Jewish artist – "defying, rather than honouring borders".
The joint Carter Center / American Museum of Natural History exhibition "Countdown to Zero" bears witness to the triumph of a shared sense of humanity over neglected tropical diseases.
In the exhibition Only Worries, by Gabrielle Gibbons, the artist depicts her perception of the state of humanity as informed by her news consumption.
The BP Portrait Award, whose annual exhibition of winners and strong contenders can be seen at the National Portrait Gallery until 24 September, is full of humanity.
"This is the 50th anniversary of that work and we are about to enter the 200th anniversary year of New Canaan in 2001," said Janet Lindstrom, executive director of the New Canaan Historical Society, of their motivation to mount the exhibition "Humanity: Arthur Szyk's View of the World" in their Town House Museum through July 28.
"He was full of humanity.
But also all of humanity.
"This is part of humanity".
