I've always loved the perfect forms of the letters I saw in the Quran and Islamic art pieces, ever since I was a child, and I wanted to recreate these scripts with my own hand.
A Man of Many Firsts: A Conversation with Master Calligrapher Yushaa Abdullah
Yushaa Abdullah is a pioneer. He is one of the first master calligraphers from Nigeria who brought the art, and support from Istanbul to the whole of the Black African Region. He is a man of many firsts. He is the first person in the African region to receive an Ijazah or diploma in Arabic calligraphy, studying under Turkish grandmaster Hasan Çelebi.
Guest Speaker Session : A Conversation with Calligrapher Gulnaz Mahboob (May 23, 2021)
Preserving Traditional Arts in the West: Profile of Master Calligrapher Dr. Mehmet Refii Kileci
Muhammad Hobe: A Life Committed to Calligraphy
Six things to know about Turkish master Hasan Çelebi
Calligraphy is Inspiration: Profile of master calligrapher Ayman Hassan
Reviving Traditional Art in the West: A Story of Samiur Rahman
Practicing calligraphy in the UK has required a lot of adaptation for many reasons; firstly, it is quite difficult to reflect the traditional ways where a student would go out in search for a teacher and stay in his /her Suhbat (companionship) for a number of years devoting himself/herself to that field. Similarly, the essence of a calligrapher is their materials..
An Afternoon with Mohamed Zakariya (Part 2) - On Tradition and Precision Writing
When you look at a writing of thuluth script, you will notice invisible lines going in a certain angle that have measurements, like 5 dots or 10 dots. Zakariya hoca said, “these relationships of dimensions are only the beginning of writing.” Therefore, when you are first learning how to write in Arabic calligraphy, you are learning the measurements of letters.
Mysticism in Miniature Art: An interview with Artist Fatima Zahra Hassan
Calligraffiti: How Artist Gabriel Garay Blends Graffiti and Calligraphy
I have been doing graffiti since my teens, so as I came across Islamic art and Islamic Calligraphy it really captivated me. I looked at how the master calligraphers played with the structure of the letters, stretching, and bending the forms. I automatically saw the correlation with what I was, or should I say, what we were, doing as graffiti artist with the latin script
An Afternoon with Mohamed Zakariya: The Story of the Poem
Last fall, I had the privilege to sit with Zakariya hoca to talk about calligraphy and his experiences. But he shared with me more than just calligraphy. We talked about languages, poetry, past and current masters of this art, literature and of course calligraphy! For the next few months I will be sharing with you snippets of our conversation.