The Art of the Written Word: Arabic calligraphy and Islamic art exhibition is announced at Lahd Gallery, England.


Wonder world in the heart of London is Lahd's Gallery of Middle Eastern and Islamic art. As a world renowned and royally funded organisation, their brand new exhibition 'Arabic Calligraphy: The Art Of the Written Word' showcases a range of unique and modern perspectives on the ancient Arabic script.

Artists have brought their personal styles in a unique display of heritage from around the world. The art of the written word will see artwork from France, Pakistan, Malaysia, India and Oman. Artists have combined elements of graphic design, fashion and light calligraphy in a fusion of Arabic expression.

Artists At The Exhibit

The exhibition will see newcomers and established creative names, including Abdallah Akar, one of the Middle East's finest contemporary artists. Born in Tunisia, Abdallah Akar is a well known artist across Europe.

Drawn to visual art and heavily influenced from meeting Iraqi calligrapher Ghani Alani, Abdallah has a career in script. Having spent a decade in decorating textiles, canvases, wood and glass with Islamic poetry, he now teaches calligraphy at Institute du Monde Arabe.

Said Adrus is an internationally acclaimed African artist with multiple identities. Born in Kampala, East Africa, to Indian Muslim parents who migrated to Kenya before the Indian Partition, Said was 'displaced' to Switzerland in the 1970s, where his family still live. Said later moved to Britain to study Fine Art at university and this is the beauty that's shown in his pieces for the Lahd Gallery exhibit. For the past 20 years Said has worked on numerous projects on Europe, New York, Havana and more recently Mumbai. In London he has exhibited the Tate Modern.

A contemporary Arabic Calligrapher, Madny Al Bakry lives and works in Muscat, Oman.

It is said that Islamic influences found in Picasso can be traced to his native Spain. Before him the famous artist Paul Cezanne, known as the father of modern art, had been subtly innoculated with the abstract guidelines of Islamic and Arabic calligraphy.

In his stunning and unique use of calligraphy, Madny has awakened the senses of his viewers. For the audience, Madny’s works present a new visual stimulation. Unlike the traditional two dimensional Arabic calligraphy in limited colours, his work is unusual in its colour palette. His distinctive style and exquisite use of colours and themes have an ethereal quality while his presentation is contemporary and elegant. Providing depth and perspective, his eye-catching works lure the senses of the connoisseurs. [Lahd Gallery]

Other artists exhibiting are Malaysian artist, Shukor Yahya, who revolutionised the art of the Kufi square – the oldest calligraphic form, first used in ancient religious Islamic scripts – in to a modern art. With more than 30 years of experience in graphic design, Shukor's work mixes the traditional art of the spiritual world with that of a new modern aesthetic for all to enjoy.


An unorthodox exhibitor, Julien Breton (featured in emel magazine) is completely self-taught and unable to speak Arabic. The French artist has developed his own unique form of virtual calligraphy, based on a Latin-style alphabet and inspired by an Arabic and Eastern aesthetic. With a multi-cultural take on calligraphy, Julien's work incorporates the cultural identity and style of East and West, fusing his ideas with inspiration from western philosophy, hip hop and street art.

Fashion Compassion at Lahd

If that wasn't enough to make your heart beat faster, an ethical and delicious fashion house, Fashion Compassion, which supports and empowers marginalised and underprivileged women from Asia and the Middle East, will also be showcasing a range of limited edition bags and jewellery inspired by the art of calligraphy at the exhibition. {www.fashioncompassion.co.uk}

About Lahd Gallery
Founded in 2005 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, to create a focal point for women artists from the Gulf, Lahd Gallery soon became a well-known exhibition space on the contemporary art scene in the Middle East and has exhibited extensively throughout the Gulf and North African countries. The gallery has already exhibited controversial and provocative pieces from leading Arabic artists to great success. In 2010, Lahd Gallery moved to its present location in London and has since become the foremost gallery promoting contemporary Middle Eastern art.

The gallery is located on 92 Heath Street, London, NW3 1DP and admission to the exhibition is free. Open from Tuesday to Friday (10am–6pm) and Saturday (10–4pm), take a trip to the gallery and indulge in fusion calligraphy for yourself.

For more information visit {Lahd Gallery}.

The Life of Muhammad: After the first BBC programme aired on Monday 11th July, Nafe Anam looks at whether it redefines modern narratives around Islam and the Prophet ﷺ.

In the first of the series, Rageh Omaar asks a crucial and poignant question: was Muhammad a force of good or evil? It seems for a series commissioned by a Muslim (Aaqil Ahmed – BBC Head of Religion & Ethics), directed by a Muslim (Faris Kermani), presented by a Muslim (Rageh Omar) and written by a Muslim (Ziauddin Sardar), the answer is maybe.

And that’s the problem with the first episode; in its bid to show an objective reflection, the program fails miserably to direct the narrative in any given way. We hear accolades of the 'man who changed the world' but no examples of how he actually achieved this. The narrative arc - or more precisely arcs - attempts to explore the life of Muhammad through modern contexts. This is understandable given that the vast majority of the audience would have never come across Muhammad in any other way. What is less understandable is the fact that all the contextual elements are negative. We are paraded through a list of modern flash points, from the 9/11 attacks at the beginning of the film to the marches and book burnings in Bradford at the end, but there are no positive modern flash points – no positive modern contexts.

Even when the episode redeems itself by exploring Khadijah – the Prophet’s first wife - and their unusual marriage, we only get the negative snipe of how the modern Muslim world fails to live up to such a legacy. And I'm sure we fail in every possible way but there are also amazing stories where we do live up to the Prophet’s great legacy. It’s astounding that there were no mentions of powerful and incredible modern Muslims who, in the footsteps of Khadijah, are brilliant businesswomen, politicians, sports personalities and more.

Ironically, however, the first episode is able to handle the Prophet’s life, in its own historical context, in a better light – sometimes quite beautifully and in a compelling way. We are treated to the normality and humanness of the Prophet through the exploration of his birth. There was no star to mark it, no kings bearing gifts and no extraordinary event symbolising the moment - and the Arabs do not celebrate it. We are also shown the non-violent character of the Prophet’s movement and how in the early years, despite persecution, there was no violent upheaval or confrontation. There is good commentary on the social justice elements of early Islam through explanations of the revolutionary fervour that ran through its message.

Many of the early converts were either aristocratic or people on the margins of society; by bringing them together, early Islam proved to be a social movement with justice at its core. There are moments of great documentary drama that beautifully explore the religious significance of Muhammad’s life. My favourite scene is that of the first revelation, where Rageh captures the unworldly experience of Divine contact and the drama of the consecutive commands of "Iqra" (Read!). The bewildering feeling of awe and disbelief is narrated with great passion and eloquence, befitting this epic and defining moment.

Overall, the series looks promising and well worth a watch; however, it missed the opportunity to redefine the modern narratives around Islam and its final Prophet. Perhaps these are addressed more effectively in the following shows – I will be looking out for it.

The Life of Muhammad continues on BBC2 next Monday at 9pm.

Source {emel} | Nafe Anam

Soul City Arts in association with The REP

Mohammed Ali (aka Aerosol Arabic)’s Writing on the Wall will see the renowned graffiti artist join forces with leading international poets in front of a live audience for a special one-off show in Birmingham on 21 January 2010.

The line-up for Writing on the Wall includes Zena Edwards, who has been performing as a professional poet for the last nine years. She will be joined by American poet Amir Sulaiman who has twice featured on HBO’s Def Poetry programme, and Dreadlock Alien, who was Birmingham’s Poet Laureate in 2006. During the two-week lead-up Mohammed will also be working with local visual artists to create unique images in the theatre space, before embarking on the one-night-only performance on 21 January.

Mohammed Ali returns to his hometown following numerous commissions around the world, including New York, Sydney and Kuala Lumpur. He has also gained worldwide media recognition from CNN, BBC Newsnight, Aljazeera and Reuters, and received an award from the hugely respected ITV Southbank Show.

Mohammed said, “I have been fortunate enough to create art in major cities across the globe, but here in the UK we have our own issues, ranging from the economic crisis to the problems that face multi-cultural societies.

"I’m hoping to create art that will inspire people with hope and positive change by bringing a bit of colour into some of the ugly conditions that exist in the world today, using the arts as the new language for change. People should not underestimate the power of the arts in bringing people together.”

Writing on the Wall is taking place at Birmingham Repertory Theatre on 21 January. To book tickets contact The REP box office on 0121 236 4455 or visit www.birmingham-rep.co.uk. For more information on the project, visit http://soulcityarts.wordpress.com/

For all press enquiries and image requests, please contact Rewired PR on 0121 236 2132.
Tara Tomes, 0121 236 2132 / 07966 884 659, tara@rewiredpr.com,

• Writing on the Wall takes place on 21st January 2010 at 7.45pm in the Birmingham Repertory Theatre Workshop space.
• Tickets are £12 advance, £15 on the doors and concessions receive a £3 discount.
• This event is included in The REP ‘Mad to Miss’ offer of £6.99 for 14-26 year olds. Proof of age will be required.