The Aga Khan Museum: As the Sun Appears from Beyond
Graphic Design
(In-house with WeatherstonBruer Associates)
Photos courtesy of the Aga Khan Museum and the Ministry of Culture, UAE
As the Sun Appears from Beyond: Twenty Years of the Al Burda Award was exhibited at Toronto's Aga Khan Museum from June 2025 – February 2026.
Featuring works from the Al Burda Award collection alongside objects from the Museum’s own holdings, the exhibition explores the beauty, creativity, and craftsmanship of Islamic artistic traditions, including calligraphy, poetry, and ornamentation. Anchored by the theme of divine light — Al-Noor — the exhibition invites visitors on a journey of reflection and understanding. The exhibit design encourages quiet reflection, using a deep colour palette that allows the artwork to stand out in contrast and appear to glow from within.
WeatherstonBruer Associates designed the layout of the exhibition with thoughtful attention to visitor flow and sightlines, ensuring that movement through the space feels intuitive yet deliberate. The exhibit design supports the curatorial vision by positioning works to allow visitors to discover connections between artwork, both ancient and contemporary. Interactive elements and opportunities for close-looking punctuate the experience, inviting reflection through participation. Custom listening devices for poetry and step-by-step graphics reveal how these complex artworks are created.
My role in the exhibit was to work closely with the WBa and museum client teams to develop graphics throughout the exhibit, which include the show’s wordmark, interpretation graphics and wall vinyls, object labelling, colour / concept work, and two large mural walls that give additional technical insight into calligraphic and illumination processes.
The exhibit can now be viewed virtually via the Aga Khan Museum’s website.
One area showing the process of “illumination” in the displayed artworks, featuring custom illustrations