Wednesday 27 May 2009

Hassan Chelebi, Farah Behbehani, Calligraphy












May 09 in Kuwait was a month of calligraphy.
"Islamic Calligraphy is more than handwriting. It is a “spiritual technique” that beaches out with grace and elegance to engage the eye, mind and soul.”…
Master Hassan Chelebi is one of the contemporary Turkish calligrapher, that can trace back his lineage of teachers to the 16th century. In the Formative Art Association (Hawally) an exhibition of his work on paper. Traditional thuluth, jali and jali diwani works showed a great command and outstanding virtuosity of an art that defies time. It is done in the same way as it has been done for centuries. In a separate room, walls were filled with transclucent paper with the inscription to be transferred on monuments or mosques' walls.


Farah Behbehani launched her book at Dar al Funoon. Young graphic designer, she engaged in a modern combination, published by Thames and Hudson (London 2009).
She says:" My thesis work, a book I designed is based on Farid Ud-Din Attar’s "The Conference of the Birds". Illustrated in Jali Diwani calligraphy, this project revisits classic Sufi literature and creates a decoding system designed to make Arabic calligraphy more accessible for non-Arabic readers. I am also working on several other projects including a book and exhibition on ‘Umra, the “lesser pilgrimage” to Mecca."
Attar's masterpiece is the Mantic at Tayr (The conference of the birds) where he describes a group of birds under the leadership of a hoopoe who determine to search for the legendary Simurgh bird. The birds must confront their own individual limitations and fears while journeying through seven valleys before the complete their quest, giving us an esoteric teaching on the presence of the divine in us
Attar's poetry inspired Rumi and many other Sufi poets.
Behbehani must have also been inspired by the beauty of the quest and the journey to a spiritual exploration. She produced a refined and complete work of art.


5 comments:

Johnny LE ZOMB said...

I love this caligraphy. Is it for sale? I would like to buy the one shown on your blog: 'kun fa yakun'...

sarah said...

It is a beautiful calligraphy and yes it was for sale. but you have to go to the Formative arts Association (Hawally) and see if the works are wrapped up and gone or still on display.

Johnny LE ZOMB said...

can you check for me, please.

sarah said...

I'll pass by on sunday and will let you know

Johnny LE ZOMB said...

thank you...