Ferozkoh: Tradition and Continuity in Afghan Art

Ferozkoh is a small and intimate exhibition held in Leighton House Museum in Kensington - don't worry, I hadn't heard of it before today either. The concept was pretty novel: there were 18 pairs of pieces on display, with each pair consisting of a historical item (loaned from the Doha Museum of Islamic Art) and a linked contemporary piece created by students of the Turquoise Mountain Institute for Afghan Arts and Architecture in Kabul, Afghanistan.

I didn't get it at first, but after a while I began to see the links between the, sometimes quite disparate, pieces - viewing this exhibition was therefore more active than usual. I even played a game of guessing which item was historical and which was contemporary, although there were only a couple that were genuinely puzzling - a testament to the contemporary artists I think.

My only disappointment was that it was all over very quickly - 18 pairs isn't a lot. But still, the House Museum itself was a pleasure to check out (the Arab room pretty much a must see if you're in Kensington) and if you haven't been it, along with the Ferozkoh exhibition, is well worth a visit.