The Beginning of Everything

By Arsalan Mohammad, "Rhythm of Language" - The National - Abu Dhabi, UAE
Sunday, August 10, 2008

It all starts with a dot.

“The dot is very important,” says Khaled al Saai, as he reaches for a fresh sheet of paper, dips a wooden blade into a pot of ink and swiftly marks a small neat square in the centre of the white page.

“This is the beginning of everything, the dot. It measures the letters geometrically. It gives identity to each letter.”

More dots appear on the sheet as Saai begins working with fluency. “It refers to Kaaba, when you look from above, the dot is rectangular. When it is rounded, it is the movement around the Kaaba, the dot itself between the two stages – no movement and the ultimate movement – between the calmness and movement. Classically, each style has its own dot.”

The 38-year-old, Syrian-born calligrapher is well-versed in classic calligraphy styles – as his reputation attests, he is one of the few young Arab artists who have transcended regional boundaries to achieve real international fame.

He has exhibited in both solo and group shows around the world, from Sharjah to Mexico and Boston to Bonn. He has been feted by major calligraphy events in Istanbul, Sharjah and Iran, as well as smaller arts festivals in Europe, often picking up first prize in biennial competitions, and beating down the cream of the region’s calligraphers.

Major wins over the past decade include four first prizes for Diwani Jali calligraphy at his alma mater, the prestigious in Istanbul Research Centre for Islamic History, Art and Culture (IRCICA), as well as a glut of prizes from Sharjah Calligraphy Biennials.

It’s his highly distinct style that immediately arrests the attention. It’s a perfect synthesis of old and new, spiritual and earthy. In his varied canvases – some pocket-sized, others stretching across gallery walls – he diffuses traditional techniques through a contemporary prism, deconstructs strictly-executed calligraphic styles within vast landscapes.

The results can reference Quranic verses, secular poetry or more simply, clusters of random letters into pictorial forms that thunder across the surfaces of his canvases.

(...)

Blending the cleaner, sharper lines of Thuluth with the opulence of Diwani Jali brings us closer to the trademark Saai style. But again, Saai’s love of experimentation emerges through his choice of media.

The usual ink and tempera and range of graduated wooden blades of any calligrapher is present and correct, yet there are inks made from substances like tobacco and crushed walnuts, which add extra texture and depth to his work.

“I have no direct influences,” he remarks. “I know all the Iranian artists, but I don’t have any Parsi style in my work. Usually, I work with a theme, I have everything I am doing translated to Arabic and try to convey the rhythm of the language in the visual art and that is a challenge.”

Citing favourites such as the late Lebanese painter Paul Guragossian and Syrian contemporary art legend Fateh Moudarres, Saai says he prefers to draw inspiration from his surroundings.

Porter [*] makes tentative comparisons to the Iraqi painter Hassan Massoudy, also featured in Word Into Art, but points out that Massoudy’s technique uses words with a much more straightforward approach.

Saai’s best pieces reflect his love of music. He recently staged a performance piece with a Jordanian musician, Khaled Jaramani, in which he responded visually to the lutist’s performance by echoing the music in his strokes as he painted words from a Sufi poem by Taher Riadh.

“I try to convey the rhythm of language in visual art and that is a challenge, there is a very deep dialogue between these two arts. Music complements the calligraphy.”

(...)

Khaled al Saai’s work can currently be seen at the XVA Gallery in Dubai (04 04 353 5383), the Majlis Gallery in Dubai (04 3536233) and the Green Art Gallery in Dubai (04 344 9888).

*[Venetia Porter, the assistant keeper of Islamic and contemporary Middle Eastern art at the British Museum in London, who included Saai in her recent Word Into Art exhibition in London and Dubai].