You’ll spot the MICA Gallery along this charming row of old brick mews houses-just ahead, keep your eyes on the right side for a tidy building with big bright windows and a punch of modern style among all that classic London brick.
Right then, welcome to Pavilion Road, where tradition meets a splash of the unexpected-right here at MICA Gallery. The air’s got that mix of turps and Turkish delight, don’t it? MICA, short for Modern Islamic and Contemporary Art, ain’t your average Knightsbridge gallery. No, love, it was the very FIRST one in the whole UK to shine the limelight on modern Islamic art-1,500 square feet of colour, calligraphy, and culture bursting right out of its walls. Founded by Reedah El-Saie, a barrister who swapped legal briefs for paintbrushes, she’s tapped into her British-Pakistani roots, giving a platform to young artists like Nurjan and Maaida Noor-talents you’d never find if you stuck to Oxford Street.
But the heart beats strongest when the world comes calling. In 2011, this little spot hosted “From Facebook to Nassbook,” a show dedicated to the Egyptian artist Ahmed Bassiony, whose story ended tragically in the Egyptian revolution. Talk about mixing art and real life, eh? That same year, calligrapher Hamid Ajami dazzled the crowd, his work swirling like the Thames in a March wind. Even the streets round here pause to take it all in. So next time you think “art gallery” means posh silence, remember-at MICA, it’s all about shouting out what matters, as bold as a market hawker at closing time. Let’s wander on, but don’t forget-here, every brushstroke’s got a backstory.
