Free calligraphy event in Sharjah: Check out how artists paint world with Arabic alphabets

UAE residents can marvel at beautiful art installations, enjoy mixed media paintings and browse through rare collections of manuscripts across Sharjah, as the emirate marks its 10th Calligraphy Biennial.

Over 200 activities and 700 artworks will be exhibited across several venues, including the Heart of Sharjah, Sharjah Art Museum, House of Wisdom, University of Sharjah, among others. Team KT headed down to the Heart of Sharjah to take a look at some of the coolest things on display.

This art installation by Tunisian artist Karim Jabbari is titled 'Reflections of the Soul'. The structure has a seating inside that creates shadows, shade and poetry. Jabbari is one of the most respected light calligraphy artists in the world, who began his artistic journey at the age of 12.

This award-winning copy of the 30th Juz (part) of the Quran is bound in leather and measures a huge 210 x 52 cm. It is by Iranian calligrapher Seyed Vahid Jazayeri, who is renowned for his interest in the Kufic script of calligraphy.

This installation was made by Emirati artist Azza Al Qubaisi, who was inspired by the beauty and balance of Arabic calligraphy. It allows the viewer to experience the movement between the lines to help them immerse themselves in the Arabic language. Al Qubaisi was the first artist to hold an exhibition at the Dubai International Financial Center (DIFC) in 2005.

This rare Arabic manuscript from the Ottoman period is written on paper in fine naskh script, with illuminated panels and is preserved in its original old binding. It is one of the 27 items from the private collection of Abdul Rahman bin Mohamed Al Owais, the Cabinet Member and Minister of Health and Prevention, who has acquired these manuscripts since the eighties of the last century.

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