Used for centuries as protective symbols, the khamsa is found in Muslim, Jewish, and Christian traditions in North Africa and the Middle East. The word means“five” in Arabic. Khamsas commonly appear as amulets in the shape of an open hand rendered in silver or other metals and are worn as jewelry or mounted on walls and doorways to bring luck and ward off evil. This exhibition features a private collection of over 30 19- and 20-century khamsas from Morocco.
Curated by students Emma Cohen, Micaela Houtkin, and Miriam Hwang-Carlos under the supervision of Professor Carol Solomon, KHAMSA: Amulets of North Africa will be on view in the Alcove Gallery in Magill Library from October 9 to November 23, 2014. A reception will take place in the library from 4:30–5:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 9. This exhibition is presented in conjunction with Memory, Place, Desire: Contemporary Art of the Maghreb and Maghrebi Diaspora at the Cantor Fitzgerald Gallery at Haverford College from October 24 to December 15, 2014.
