The art of Arabic calligraphy will be showcased during the DSF - and beyond.
The beauty of written Arabic is to be celebrated from next week with a special exhibition being brought to Dubai.
Word into Art will be staged from February 7 to April 30 at the Dubai International Finance Centre thanks to a collaboration between the British Museum and Dubai Holding.
The exhibition celebrates the creativity of Middle Eastern artists by focusing on the way writing has been used in modern art. From traditional Arabic scripts to present day graffiti, artists across the region have found innovative ways of using script. They write verses from the Quran, lines of poetry, use text to highlight their preoccupation with politics, or simply show their delight in the shape of the Arabic letter. It is this rich diversity of approaches that this exhibition seeks to examine. Its exposure in the UAE follows a very successful run at the British Museum in May 2006.
'Talents’
Mohammad Al Gergawi, Executive Chairman of Dubai Holding, says: “I’m glad that Dubai Holding has taken this opportunity to partner with the British Museum to host such an excellent exhibition. In the Middle East, Dubai Holding is committed to encouraging innovation in all aspects of our society and developing the talents of the artistic community in the region is a very important part of this goal. This exhibition demonstrates just how impressive these talents are.”
The majority of works in the exhibition are from the collection of the British Museum, which has been acquiring works by artists from the Middle East and North Africa since the mid-1980s. The exhibition is divided into four sections.
Innovative
Sacred Script explains the relationship between Arabic script and the religion of Islam, showing the enduring vitality of the Islamic calligraphic tradition today. The innovative work of Ahmad Mustafa, Kamal Boullata, Khalid Al Saai, Fouad Honda, Siah Armajani and Erol Akyavas are included in this section.
The powerful literary tradition of the Middle East, the enduring appeal of ancient and modern Arabic and Persian poetry, and the work of Sufi writers are evoked in Literature and Art.
Works by Dia Azzawi, Hassan Massoudy, Etel Adnan, Abdullah Benanteur, Shirin Neshat, Farhad Moshiri, Ebrahim Bousaad, Jamal Abd Al Rahim and others reveal how artists seek to find ever more inventive ways of writing or illustrating these famous texts.
Abstract
Deconstructing the Word examines the use of script in Middle Eastern abstract art from the mid 20th century to the present day. Here the messages are more ambivalent and link with past or present identities in subtle ways.
Letters and words are sometimes legible but more often they are not, having been turned into beautiful abstract patterns by artists as diverse as Rashid Koraichi, Michal Rovner, Faisal Samra, Parviz Tanavoli, Yousuf Ahmad and Ali Hassan.
Finally, Identity, History and Politics looks at the ways in which the words embedded in these works can provide us with real snapshots of history as well as revealing reactions to the region’s devastating conflicts during the past few decades. Included here is the work of Kareem Risan, Walid Raad, Laila Shawa, Sabah Naim and Khusrau Hasanzade.
Thriving
Neil MacGregor, director of the British Museum says: “This will be the first time that the British Museum has sent an exhibition to the Middle East. Dubai is the perfect choice as it is a thriving centre for contemporary art. It is wonderful that Dubai Holding has given us the opportunity to stage this important exhibition in such an important city.”
A fully illustrated book to accompany Word into Art, written and edited by Venetia Porter, will be available from Dubai Holding.
Admission to the exhibition is free.
