Shangri La is the name of an Islamic-style mansion built by heiress Doris Duke near Diamond Head just outside Honolulu, Hawaii. It is now owned and operated by the Doris Duke Foundation for Islamic Art (DDFIA) which is currently showcasing its traveling exhibit Doris Duke’s Shangri La: Architecture, Landscape, and Islamic Art at the Los Angeles Municipal Art Gallery till December 28th. Organized by Donald Albrecht, curator of design for the Museum of the City of New York and Thomas Mellins, architectural historian, the exhibit explores the synthesis of 1930s modernist architecture, tropical landscape and Islamic art that Duke achieved at Shangri La. This is the first major exhibition about Shangri La to be shown outside Hawaii, taking the story of Duke’s transformative engagement with the Islamic world and her work at Shangri La to national audiences.

The exhibit features photographs by Tim Street-Porter, archival materials and a selection of more than 60 objects of Islamic art from the collection. The exhibition also includes new art work by seven past artists-in-residence, including Zakariya Amataya, Afruz Amighi, Shezad Dawood, Emre Hüner,Walid Raad, Shahzia Sikander and Mohamed Zakariya.

If you reside in or traveling to L.A., this is a must-see!

These photographs of the exhibit especially of the Mughal Garden remind me of the palace of Alhambra in the city of Granada, Spain, a visit I hold dearly to my heart and will never forget.

I’m so now tempted to make a trip to Morocco!!!