Dr. Mehmet Refii Kileci is one of the foremost calligraphers in Europe who has dedicated his life teaching and promoting traditional arts in the west.

Born in Istanbul, Turkey, Dr. Kileci became interested in the traditional arts from a very young age. He studied under several renowned masters, including Hamid Aytaç, Kemal Batanay, Niyazi Sayin, Prof. Uğur Derman, Mustafa Duzgunman and among others. He also holds a Ph.D in Religious studies, which allowed Dr. Kileci to teach Islamic sciences at several universities in Europe.

Dr. M.R Kileci founded the Rumi Kunst Instituut in Rotterdam, Netharlands in 2008. A remarkable learning center dedicated to promoting multicultural diversity and traditional arts, such as calligraphy (both Arabic and Western), marbling and music. Dr. Kileci regularly holds workshops at his institute. He also won several accolades and exhibited his work internationally.

I recently reached out to Dr. Kileci for an interview, which he very graciously accepted. And this is what he shared with us.

What inspired you to study Islamic traditional arts?

There are a number of factors that inspired me to study the traditional Islamic arts. First, my grandfather was an Islamic scholar and the walls of our house in Istanbul were decorated with old and antique calligraphy artworks, and this encouraged me to study the traditional arts. My father himself also personally encouraged me to engage in these arts. Furthermore, the fact that I was born in ‘’Hattat Nazif Street’’ (the name of the calligraphy master of my teacher), and the fact that the street behind our house was ‘’Hattat Izzet’’ and another one was ‘’Yesarizade’’ (both famous calligraphers), also inspired me to study the art of calligraphy and traditional arts.

What is the importance of preserving tradition in Arabic calligraphy and how can we especially in the west continue that tradition in the future?

Preserving tradition is of significant importance in Arabic calligraphy. The tradition in calligraphy is the culmination of 14 centuries of artwork produced through the efforts of thousands of artists. In particular, Sevki, Sami, Nazif and several other masters who lived in the 19th century carried calligraphy to the top. Their calligraphy work as well as those of other calligraphy masters who lived before them must be well studied. There is no point in us reinventing the wheel. We ought to learn this art in a traditional way, in line with its principles, from calligraphy masters who are well-versed in it. It is rather hard to learn this art without an instructor. In fact, being self-taught is almost impossible.

Some time ago, a Palestinian man over 60 years of age registered for one of my calligraphy courses. He told me he had practiced this art by himself for 7 years and wanted me to tutor him. I asked him to write something, and I looked at the writings he brought with him as well. He had basically imitated different writings without getting help from an instructor. You could not call it an artwork really, but just a hodgepodge of writings. I gave him Thuluth and Naskh examples of master Mehmed Sevki Efendi and asked him to start over again. After some time, he told me he wished he had not practiced on his own at all, because there was a lot to unlearn.

Of course, nowadays, the Internet, in particular social media and the digital technology, play an important role in spreading the best artworks of great masters. At the same time, however, there are bad examples, and the uninitiated cannot distinguish a good one from a bad one.

Therefore, I think it is very important to have good examples of writings, and more importantly, to have the guidance of a good instructor. There are some calligraphy masters who moved to the West, and I think this art can be learnt under their guidance. One cannot see his or her own mistakes. In the West, some people think they can become a self-taught calligrapher in a short time period through the Internet, but that’s just not possible.

What role does Islamic art play in a person’s spiritual development?

An Islamic art serves the religion, and is otherworldly or spiritual in nature, whether we are talking about architectural work or calligraphy. The essence of calligraphy is a script, and most of the time, it’s from the Qur’an and Sunnah. In a way, calligraphy is the language of the pen, and the calligrapher is a messenger who conveys divine and prophetic messages to people. In the Islamic heritage, knowledge is sacred, and so are the means of transmission of knowledge, namely ink, pen, paper and text. In the Qur’an, in Surah al-Qalam, Allah swears by the pen and ink pot. This art educates people, teaches them good manners, and makes them soft-hearted.

Dr. Kileci with his teacher, Kemal Batanay

Dr. Kileci with his teacher, Hamid Aytaç

Most important lessons you learned from your teachers. And what was like studying with master calligrapher Hamid Aytaç?

I was one of the youngest students of Hamid Aytaç one of the greatest calligraphy masters of the 20th century. I started taking lessons from him in 1976 and continued until his death. Since he was the last calligrapher from the Ottoman circles, I learnt from him both the theory and practice. I also had the opportunity to learn from other calligraphers, such as Kemal Batanay, Recep Berk, Nureddin Elçioğlu, Prof. Muhiddin Serin, Prof. Emin Barın, and Prof. Uğur Derman.

What is the role of Rumi Kunst Instituut in promoting the art of Arabic calligraphy and other traditional arts in the west?

Rumi Kunst Instituut is one of the few, in fact the only, art institute in the West that aims to promote Arabic calligraphy and other traditional Islamic arts. There are a number of valuable artists who are individually performing their arts in their homes in Europe; however, there does not exist any institute dedicated for this, other than the Rumi Kunst Instituut. Unfortunately, the majority of the Muslim population living in the West are not very interested in discovering their own heritage, civilization and arts. The embassy of many affluent Middle Eastern countries are also negligent in promoting Arabic or Islamic arts in Europe. Rumi Kunst Instituut is a small, private institute, but its significance is big.

We teach calligraphy, marbling, illumination and other traditional arts in line with their methods and principles. We also organize workshops, courses, galleries, and events to promote these arts and thereby build bridges of peace and love between different cultures. The institute, which is independent, and is not affiliated with any governmental or non-governmental organization. I established the institute in 2008 and now we have students from different cultural, religious and racial backgrounds.

Your advice for students learning traditional arts.

1. First and foremost, they should learn these arts from a master or instructor who is well-versed in the traditional methods.

2. They should study the works of great masters from the past very well.

3. When they study calligraphic varieties, they should choose the best example works for each variety, produced by well-known calligraphers, and emulate them. For example, if they study thuluth and naskh, they should study Mehmed Sevki Efendi, and for Rika and Diwani, they should study Mehmed Izzet Efendi.

4. They should be humble.

5. The intention should be to please Allah, and not gain fame or money.

6. They should be rooted in the tradition, but at the same time, they should try to develop and advance calligraphy more.

To learn more about Dr. M.R. Kileci’s work, please visit: https://www.rumikunst.com/

Instagram: @dr.kileci and @rumikunstinstituut