Express Newark Explores Muslim Spiritual and Artistic World In “Ritual” Exhibitions

Express Newark on Tuesday will launch Ritual, a series of exhibitions and events that explore the relationship between Islamic spiritual practices, rituals, and art—featuring experimentations in photography, film, sound art, and textiles. 

While many of the artists have some relationship with Muslim-majority contexts worldwide, the exhibition also spans Newark–which has long been home to one of the nation’s largest African American Muslim communities–while also branching out beyond the domestic borders. The opening begins at 5 p.m. at Express Newark, a center for art, design, and digital storytelling, where people co-create to advocate for social change. The center is supported by Rutgers-Newark.

"Our exhibitions seek to capture the dynamic histories, intergenerational experiences, vibrant lives and integral roles that Muslim communities have in Newark, and ultimately, our nation,’’ said Salamishah Tillet, Express Newark’s Executive Director.

Ritual features work by artists, curators, students, and community members who’ve immersed themselves in nonsecular expressions of spirituality and Islamic traditions across the Muslim world. 

By bridging traditional spiritual practices and aesthetic innovations, these artistic explorations turn towards Muslim interiorities—an often underrepresented perspective in art—and inspire new discourses, worldviews, and conversations about belief and identity.

“These exhibitions allow us to have an in-depth conversation with so many artists about work that often spans different centuries and countries,” Tillet said. “ They give us all a unique opportunity to refresh our perspectives about what we think we know and see, while also allowing us to more deeply reconnect to each other,’’ said Tillet.

This year, Express Newark will host its first international artist in residence as part of Ritual.
Multimedia artist Younes Baba-Ali is a Moroccan-born artist based in Brussels who engages the public by mixing technology, objects, sound, video, and photography with political, social, and ecological issues. 

Throughout his residency, he is developing a two-part installation, “Carroussa Sonore,” which translates to “sounding cart,” that engages those who live and work in Newark. Local artists and students work closely with Baba Ali to create site-specific sound art works performed throughout Newark neighborhoods by street vendors and performance artists.

 “Carroussa Sonore” departs from a religious act and becomes an intervention that archives urban soundscapes, abstract noises, and alternative narratives throughout the African Diaspora.

Here are the featured exhibitions on View from February 25 – July 31, 2025:
 
Powers of the Unseen

Curated by Sandrine Colard, Wendell Marsh, Alex Dika Seggerman, and Aude Tournaye
 
In the Paul Robeson Gallery, the exhibition “Powers of the Unseen” features photography works that explore the Muslim concept of the Unseen (al-Ghayb), which refers to that which is hidden from the visible world and beyond human perception. In this exhibit, the theory of the Unseen frames photography by thirteen international artists. These artists explore the frontier between the visible and invisible, the intersection of spirituality and photography, and the limits of perception and representation. While many artists have some relationship with Muslim-majority contexts worldwide, their work resists singular labels.  As the exhibit includes European, American, and African artists, it also questions the standard geographies of the "Muslim World." Amidst calls for inclusive representation across spheres of public life, this work challenges us to consider the right to remain hidden. Featured artists include: Younes Baba- Ali, Yasi Alipour, Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Charlotte Brathwaite, Nene Aïssatou Diallo, Binta Diaw, Bruno Hadjih, Chester Higgins, Amina Kadous. Baseera Khan, Gordon Parks, Kameelah Janan Rasheed, and Malick Welli.
 
Woven Prayers
Nzingah Oyo
 
Photographer Nzingah Oyo is presenting “Woven Prayers,” in which the artist captures large-scale portraits in front of hand-sewn prayer rugs to contemplate the complexities of faith, hope, and connection in a world yearning for meaning. Activating across the entire second floor of Express Newark, Oyo invites members from the local Muslim community to participate in the portrait sessions held in the SHINE Portrait Studio.
 
Subtle Centers
Dahlia Elsayed & Andrew Demirjian
 
“Subtle Centers,” an immersive installation imagined by SHINE Portrait Studio artist-in-residence Dahlia Elsayed, in collaboration with artist Andrew Demirjian. This immersive installation meditates on the permeability between interiorities and exteriorities, prompting visitors to imagine a space between the physical and spiritual worlds collectively. Transforming the Box Gallery into an invented outdoor courtyard featuring mirrored reflection, moving sounds, and tangible objects, the space offers an invitation from the material world for greater comprehension and interpretation of the immaterial.
 
Sacred Rugs: Contemplation, Hope, Resilience
 
Across in the Windows Gallery, “Sacred Rugs: Contemplation, Hope, Resilience” showcases the work of fourteen students who completed the fall 2024 class, “Problems in Contemporary Art: Ritual.” The course, led by Assistant Director of SHINE Portrait Studio, Anthony Alvarez, encouraged Rutgers students to develop critical insights informed by Elsayed’s artistic practice and to design and create new rugs. Together, Alvarez and Elsayed urged students to consider the prayer rug as a medium for contemplation, hope, and resilience, inspiring them to envision aesthetic futures that challenge fear and despair. Featured artist include Christeen Abdelshahied, Carmelle Alexis, Caylie Baker, Brit Derilus, Victor Elizondo-Martine, Bryan Euvin, Amber Evans, Daniel Flores, David Gonzalez, Jazmyne Johnson, Vylette Mcknight, Aasiyah Rogers, Sonam Salvi, and Imani Southerland.
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