Marking its first anniversary this September, the Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO (MACS MTO) in Chatou continues to offer a space for cultural dialogue, artistic exploration, and spiritual reflection. Established as the world’s first museum dedicated to the art and culture of Sufism, it presents a collection spanning from the Achaemenid Empire to the present day; sculptures, textiles, ceramics, calligraphy, and site-specific installations that reflect the poetic and symbolic depth of Sufi thought.
Its current exhibition, Resonant: Bodies, Songs, and Strings, explores the transmission of knowledge through sound, vibration, and listening. Curated by Elena Sorokina and Simona Dvorák, with the Initiative for Practices and Visions of Radical Care (RCI) as advisors, the exhibition gathers fourteen international artists, among them Rada Akbar, Brook Andrew, Meris Angioletti, and Charwei Tsai, whose works echo the rhythms of Sufi art and practice.
Unfolding across three floors, Resonant moves from “transmissions of knowledge” to “the resonant body” and finally to “sound as healing.” From symbolic instruments such as the setār to multimedia installations and sonic rituals, each work reflects on sound as a vehicle of connection and remembrance.
Situated on the banks of the Seine, the museum occupies a restored 19th-century mansion redesigned by Atelier Maciej Fiszer and Ducatillion Gimel. Its 600 square metres of exhibition space and tranquil garden offer a contemplative setting where visitors encounter Sufi art as both heritage and living practice.
Initiated by the Maktab Tarighat Oveyssi Shahmaghsoudi School of Islamic Sufism, MACS MTO continues to build bridges between tradition and contemporary expression, revealing how the pulse of sound and spirit continues to reverberate through art today.
Location: Musée d’Art et de Culture Soufis MTO, France.
Date: 6 June 2025 until 4 January 2026.