Expressing Faith: Islam Inspired Art at Duke University

Bismallah, Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim
Image from Wikimedia Commons

For the first 2 1/2 weeks in April this year, Lilly Library at Duke University is hosting the exhibit Expressing Faith:  Islam Inspired Art.  One of my favorite calligraphers, Dr. Huda Totonji, will be displaying her work, Dr. Carl Ernst of UNC Chapel Hill will be giving a presentation on the intersections of faith, art, and Islam, and my friends at the Duke MSA invited me to show sculptures from the 99 Names Project (and did all the heavy lifting).  As I wasn’t able to make it, Pres. Nabeel Hyder of the Duke MSA picked up the bubble-wrapped sculptures and he and his friends set the whole thing up.

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Dr. Totonji is an educator, consultant, entrepreneur, researcher, fine artist, and amazing calligrapher.  The several galleries on her website include her work in calligraphy and painting to her public art and installation.  Dr. Enst is a specialist in Islamic Studies, and his presentation will be insightful and engaging.  I’m grateful to Dr. Antepli for pointing Pres. Nabeel towards the Project, and I’m very happy and grateful the Duke MSA did all the work!

Calligraffiti of eL Seed

Most of us have an immediate aversion to graffiti.  Although it lends color and energy to the environment, graffiti punctuates the dystopian landscape with hopelessness–tags to mark turf and power of rival gangs, or vandalism by the hands of pathless youth.  The ability to communicate, write, and leave something behind is a Divine gift, and graffiti feels like the dark face to this uplifting ability.

However, few things could be farther from the reality with the work of my friend eL Seed.  Rather than “tagging” his work beautifies; he uses the standard tool kit of the street graffiti artist, with all his cans of spray paint and paint-smeared clothes, but he is also (and foremost) a serious student of classical calligraphy.  He finds dilapidated and lonely walls, misused alleys, or blank spots asking for energy, and his magical “calligraffiti” beautifies rather than degrades–giving colorful messages of hope rather than identifiers of dystopia.  His work has been commissioned at Harvard, the Sharjah Biennial, and elsewhere around the world, and the video above is of one of his most beautiful works to date, the adornment of Jara Mosque in Gabes, Tunisia.

eL Seed’s site

Translation of the words?  My favorite verse from the Qur’an:

O Men!  Behold, We have created you all out of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, so that you might come to know one another.

–Qur’an 49:13

Jara Mosque, Gabes, Tunisia
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Calligraphy–From Fingerpainting to Transcendent Art

Lascaux Cave Painting
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Fifteen thousand years ago our ancestors recorded important, sacred events on a cave wall in Lascaux in France.  These and other breathtaking images, vibrant with vitality and color, are the forerunners to the art form we recognize today as calligraphy.  The transmission of knowledge in many cultures and faith traditions is considered a Divine gift and sacred act, so perhaps it is natural that the written form is developed to amplify and transcend its meaning, and those who design and produce these works are revered and treasured themselves.

The oldest writing which has been found is recognized as being preserved on Sumerian tablets, and Cuneiform is acknowledged as the most ancient written language.

Sumerian Stone Tablet
Image from Wikimedia Commons

From these beginnings, finger painting and labored marks, every culture with writing has produced writing artists whose work is still breathtaking, regardless of whether or not we can read what was written.  Some of my personal favorites include Mayan calligraphy:

Mayan Lidded Vessel
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Japanese Illuminated Stories:

Yoko Protecting His Father
Image from Wikimedia Commons

And Western Illuminated Letters:

Den Haag Manuscript, Elkenah and Wives
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Richard Beasley, instructor in calligraphy, drawing, printmaking and painting for years at Northern Arizona University, taught that the calligrapher must merge the meaning of the words with the visual impact of the visual forms.  “Whether we choose to use the word craftsman or the word artist, both demand equal pedestals because each is only one-half of a total human endeavor.”  (From Art of the Letter:  Richard E. Beasley 1934-1992)  The calligrapher’s art transcends the limits of language by transforming the performance of writing into a sacred act.

Chinese Calligraphy

European Calligraphy

Indian Calligraphy

Islamic Calligraphy

Japanese Calligraphy

Mayan Calligraphy

A Beautiful Pinterest Page

Friends of the Alphabet Resources

Art Bismallah Calligraphers

It is easy for me to get lost in the swirls and swoops, the abstracted and natural forms, and the crystallized mystery of the calligraphic arts.  Richard Beasley’s insight echoes from the works of calligraphers in any culture, and I find myself admiring the care, craftsmanship, reverence, and artistry of these many scribes.  This final image, though, is my favorite, a thousand-year-old page from a manuscript crafted in Northern Africa, the magnificent Blue Qur’an; it speaks its sacred nature to whomever views it, without us ever having to be able to read its letters.

Page from the Blue Qur’an
Image from Wikimedia Commons

Dr. Ezzat Abouleish, new friend of the project

Al-Haq, or The Truth

Dr. Ezzat Abouleish emigrated from Egypt many years ago, living in Texas and practicing the healing arts as an accomplished anesthesiologist.  Always drawn to calligraphy and painting, when Dr. Abouleish retired from medicine he concentrated on multiplying his creative talents; at a period of life when his contemporaries enjoy their laurels and relax, his energies are directed to exploring the healing powers of art.  His Holy Names calligraphy panels are full of expressive energy, and seeing a full series together is a moving experience.

Dr. Abouleish happened to come across the 99 Names project, and was intrigued that a Christian artist is exploring his family’s faith–so intrigued that he gave a book of his powerful Holy Names paintings to me to help strengthen my appreciation of the 99 Most Beautiful Names.  His website has many examples of his expanding body of work, an ongoing exploration of visual beauty undertaken with the same healing energy with which he pursued his distinguished medical career.  It is wonderful and humbling to receive a blessing on the project from such a person.

Thank you Dr. Abouleish.

Philosufi

Neman and Deborah of Philosufi.com are building a virtual community of people who believe that worthwhile things, when shared among neighbors, can enrich our lives.  They find fun, informative, and uplifting events and information, and share it in an open forum, to build a positive and supportive community.  This image is from an article they recently did on the work of a friend of mine, eL Seed, a classic-style calligrapher who performs his work in urban settings–granting the environment with a grace much needed.   They also did a wonderful article on the 99 Names Project, and I am grateful they have become friends.