Calligraphy exhibition begins
sharjah — The Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilisation unveiled its latest exhibition, Beyond the Letter: Modern Arabic Calligraphy, from the collection of Islamic Arts Museum Malaysia (IAMM) that coincides with the Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial and runs until June 23.
Syed Mohammed Hasrin Aidid, ambassador of Malaysia to the UAE, and his wife Dr Heba Nayel Barakat, head of curatorial affairs at the IAMM, and Manal Ataya, directorgeneral of the Sharjah Museums Authority, opened the exhibition alongside a number of VIP guests. The IAMM’s collection includes pieces by some of the most prominent artists working in the field of Arabic calligraphy, from both regional Islamic cultural centres such as Iran and Egypt, as well as works by calligraphers from as far afield as Japan and Malaysia. — Wam
PArTICIPATIng ArTISTS
Egypt-born fine artist Ahmed Moustafa, currently lives and works in London, but his exhibitions have touched audiences in the UAE, France, the UK and Switzerland. His portfolio has also featured in private and public collections in the British Museum, London; the Ashmolean Museum, Oxford; the Museum of Modern Arts, Alexandria, Egypt; the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh; and the Pontificia Universitas Gregoriana at The Vatican in Rome. Japan is not usually a country associated with Islamic arts, but Fuad Kouichi Honda has spent many years perfecting his calligraphy. A graduate of Tokyo University of Foreign Studies in 1969, Honda was chosen as one of the top five contemporary Arabic calligraphers at a Kuwaiti Government festival and holds an ‘ijaza’ awarded by Turkish master calligrapher Hassan Chelebi. Inspired by his father at a young age, Malaysian Ahmad Dhiya’ bin Abdul Ghafur is the youngest artist featured in the exhibition. A self-taught calligrapher, he has studied the classical script forms of Kufic, Naskh, Thuluth, Riqa’, Nastaliq and Divani. As well as collaborating with local artists, his works have been displayed at the Eid Festival in Sydney, Australia.