Topic: Drawn to Islam: Exhibit shows the wonders of calligraphy

[Sami Yusuf Islam]

Drawn to Islam: Exhibit shows the wonders of calligraphy
Maria Elena Baca, Star Tribune
 
Published May 24, 2003 ISLA24
 
 
 
 
Whether in Islamic countries or elsewhere in the world, Muslims can find nearby a visual connection to their faith.

Homes, businesses and other places where people gather often are decorated with murals, wall hangings, framed prints, or even household items, with intricately ornamented Arabic calligraphy. Whether the artwork is a priceless tap estry or a battered photocopy, viewers who know what to look for might find inspiration, a prayer of thanks or a reminder of God's love.

An exhibition of Islamic calligraphy by three artists opened Thursday at Landmark Center and will continue until June 28.

In accordance with scriptural prohibitions against the creation of graven images, Islamic art generally does not incorporate naturalistic human or animal forms. As a result, art incorporating the written word with geometric designs and motifs from nature has followed Islam as it spread across the world, picking up regional decorative and design elements and media.

Of the three artists whose work is being displayed, one is a Syrian living in Egypt whose art follows a largely traditional path; one is a Chinese Muslim whose unornamented Arabic is read from top to bottom, rather than the traditional right to left; and the third is a Palestinian-American who starts with Arabic lettering, then uses a computer to manipulate the color and light.

Organizer Fawzia Reda, an Arab-American artist who lives in the Twin Cities, said that her studies of Islamic art helped her to better understand her own faith.

"Islamic art is by definition spiritual and basically it is to illustrate and glorify the word of God," she said.

She said she was struck by the diversity in artwork that is so different in terms of motif and design, but nonetheless is linked by theme and composition.

"The thing that actually was very striking to me was the variety of art and the diversity of styles," she said. "Through my exposures to those different styles I came to understand that the characteristics of each style say, from China, the Middle East, even Spain, cultivated the look, the sensibilities and taste of the people.


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[Sami Yusuf Islam]

"It was almost like an act of love. It was a natural interaction and collaboration, and really involved all the senses and the intellect at the same time. That just gave me one fact about this religion, that it was so tolerant, that it accepted all people, that it invited all people so it is imbued with the concept of equality among all people."

The artwork can be as simple as the name of God, Allah. Or it could be a saying from the Qur'an or the teachings of Mohammed. However, not all of the artwork is based in teachings from Islam.

A print by Syrian Mouneer Sha'rani, which is included in the exhibit, is done in traditional style, but includes quotes from Greek philosophers Plato and Pythagorus, and Muslim philosopher Marawan ibn Abihafssah, about the beauty of music. Another of his prints includes several quotes from the Book of Matthew, in the Bible.

A print by Fayeq Oweis, the San Francisco-based graphic artist, is an ornamented phrase, "Allah jameel yohib al-jamaal," or "God is beautiful and loves beauty."

Oweis said that when he's looking for inspiration, he seeks out "something that will deliver a nice message for someone who can read it, and for someone who cannot read it, it provides a nice visual experience."

Often, the message and the motif will be complementary, he said. For example, the word "peace" may be ornamented with a dove. He illustrated the word for "to know each other" with interlinked letters that, for him, called to mind joined hands.

Creating the artwork is a meditative practice, Oweis said. He hopes his work expresses the peace he feels in the creative process.

"There's a traditional saying in Arabic that work, any type of work, is a form of worship," he said. "So in a way, you create something that you are satisfied with, and you like, and you also hope that everyone who looks at it later will benefit from it, whether it's from the visual aspect of it or the spiritual aspect of it. Either way it's a rewarding experience."