18 Calligraphic Works

Artist Statement

Calligraphy can be compared with poetry. Rather than disclosing all the meanings of a work, a poet invites readers and listeners to think about the poetic images and perhaps even to interpret them differently. This helps audiences to merge their own desires, intimate feelings and unique insights informed by personal experience with the words of the poet.

Calligraphy enjoys the same expressive abilities as poetry, since all the arts are interrelated, each one paving the way for the other. A frequent question is how do words turn into a calligraphic composition? In the past, when a calligrapher wanted to render poetic writings, he would adopt a particular style,such as the Thuluth, Diwani or Farsi scripts, and attempt to follow its rules. His personal touch appeared in the dynamism and strength of his letters or in the introduction of new shapes modelled on those of the ancient calligraphers.

I adopt a somewhat different approach. My scripts are largely dominated by the effects of landscapes and images. I always begin by imagining a poetic metaphor and wait for one word to prevail over the others. I then calculate the number of straight and curved letters in order to produce a balanced structure, allowing my imagination to create various forms using these words.

The birth of new calligraphic scripts is not an easy matter, since the calligrapher needs to rebel against ancient standards, first breaking from them and then reconciling. At times, I feel that I am directly aligned with ancient calligraphy; at other times, I feel totally opposed to it. I continually strive to explore the life that surrounds us, our role in the universe as well as our cultural responsibility towards society and humanity. I want my scripts to express the unity of their bond with modernity, whose soaring pace of development has placed man upon the moon. Through the daily act of writing calligraphy, I aim to recreate myself over and over again.


2013

This project was part of Sharjah Biennial 11