Quand le miroir se souvient du pas, (When the Mirror Remembers the Trace) extends MACS MTO’s mission to illuminate the living heritage of Sufi art and thought by positioning visitors as active participants in the search for meaning. The exhibition itself echoes the Sufi path, where direct experience is essential for understanding.
This approach couples the collection with participatory installations and scenographic interventions that prompt self-guided exploration. Commissioned calligraphic works present eight key Sufi terms as conceptual anchors throughout the galleries, from tasawwuf, the instructive term translated as Sufism, through fanā, the annihilation of ego-self in Divine union.
Alongside symbolic and contemplative works from the collection, interactive installations—including a virtual reality experience of a dhikr (remembrance) circle, an āyeneh-kārī (mirror-mosaic) room visitors help complete, a sunken Sufi reading lounge, and garden listening environments—transform the museum into a dynamic space for personal engagement, discovery, and contemplation.
Rather than resolving into a single interpretation, the exhibition unfolds as a journey in itself: a chain of thought, reflection, and renewal that mirrors how Sufi knowledge arises not through rote definition but through lived experience and personal encounter.
Featuring works: Farkhondeh Ahmadzadeh, Rachid Koraïchi, Sanaz Mazinani, Bahman Panahi, and Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian.
Curator: Golzar Yousefi.
