British Museum to bring Word into Art show in Dubai

at the Dubai Cultural and Scientific Association.

Selected works of 21 award-winning contemporary calligraphers from nine countries are on display at the seven-day show, being held under the patronage of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Executive Council. The works cover verses from the Holy Quran, Arabic Poetry, Proverbs and Sayings.

A total of 70 selected works of 21 renowned Arabic calligraphers from nine countries, including six from the UAE, are on display.

The calligraphers participating in the exhibition on February 28th are from Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Sudan and the US.

Arabic Calligraphy: Word and Form was the titled of the talk by Dr. Venetia Porter, Curator of the Department of Asia at The British Museum in London. The lecture started with a tribute to the Sudanese calligrapher Osman Waqialla who died in January.

The British Museum considers exhibitions and activities such as this playing a vital role in promoting greater understanding of Middle Eastern and Islamic artistic traditions in Britain and elsewhere. It is hoped that Word into Art may be shown in Dubai in the near future.