Can’t get to our exhibition during the day? Don’t worry, we’ve teamed up with our neighbour Leighton House Museum to give you the opportunity to see our current exhibitions at this special Friday evening opening.

Visit us to see Marwan’s first solo exhibition Not Towards Home, But The Horizon, open until 8.30pm, then stroll over to Leighton House Museum – just 12 minutes walk away – to see their photography exhibition The Guardians, open until 9pm.

Not Towards Home, But The Horizon, features paintings, etchings and works on paper by internationally celebrated Syrian artist Marwan, many of which have never been shown in the UK before. The artist’s works hang in museum collections worldwide, but at the age of 81, this is his first UK solo.

The Guardians, presents Adel Quraishi’s large scale photographic portraits of the eight remaining ‘Guardians’ of the Prophet’s Mosque (Al-Masjid al-Nabawi). Once numbered in the hundreds, the Guardians date back to the 11th Century and are the keepers of the keys to the Prophet Muhammad’s burial chamber. Quaraishi is the only man to have been permitted to photograph these subjects, the last of their generation.

The openings will be accompanied by live music. Oud player Roskar Nasan will perform 7-7.30pm and  7.45-8.15pm at The Mosaic Rooms and Yaz Fentazi Trio will be performing at Leighton House Museum.

Roskar Nasan was born in Latakia, Syria. He studied the oud in Aleppo and Damascus. From 1990 to 2000 he played Kurdish and Arabic music at concerts and festivals across Syria and Lebanon. Before moving to London in 2001, he lived in Belgium where he played for a Kurdish TV music band and toured Belgium, France, Germany and Holland performing live on TV as well as in concert.

Get walking directions here.

Both exhibitions are part of Nour Festival of Arts.

FREE, rsvp@archive.mosaicrooms.org