Festival of Islamic Arts

The Festival of Islamic Arts: a bridge between heritage and contemporary creation

The Festival of Islamic Arts is part of the mission of the Institut des Cultures d'Islam (ICI), a contemporary art center of the City of Paris dedicated to Islamic cultures. Located in the heart of the vibrant Goutte d'Or district, in the 18th arrondissement, the ICI has two sites — rue Stephenson and rue Léon — to host exhibitions, events, and workshops throughout the year.

A program at the crossroads of disciplines

The festival offers a program of great artistic diversity that reflects the breadth and richness of Islamic cultures across centuries and continents. Sufi music, calligraphy, contemporary art, poetry, cinema, dance, digital arts, design: each edition weaves links between secular heritage and contemporary creation, between tradition and modernity.

The invited artists — musicians, visual artists, calligraphers, filmmakers, choreographers, poets — come from all over the world and represent the diversity of artistic traditions from the Maghreb, the Middle East, Central Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Muslim diaspora in Europe. The festival creates a dialogue between these traditions and contemporary artistic practices, offering unique aesthetic experiences accessible to all audiences.

Rooted in the Goutte d'Or

The choice of the Goutte d'Or as the location for the ICI is not accidental. This cosmopolitan district in the north of Paris, rich in its cultural diversity, is a natural ground for a festival that celebrates intercultural dialogue and the encounter between arts. The ICI plays an essential role in cultural mediation, artistic awareness, and social connection, for both residents and visitors from all over the Île-de-France region.

A festival open to the world

The Festival of Islamic Arts contributes to a better understanding of Islamic cultures in their plurality, far from stereotypes and reductions. By presenting demanding and accessible works, it participates in intercultural dialogue and the valorization of an exceptionally rich artistic heritage, too often unknown to the general Western public.