ON SONG: Sabah Arbilli at the opening of his exhibition; STANDING TALL: An installation piece of artwork; ‘STEELING’ THE SHOW: The 200kg steel pyramid of letters.        Photos by Jayaram

 By Umer Nangiana

 

An eye that appreciates art is imbued with a sense of wonder. Sometimes the charm of a creation leaves you in a state of trance itself. Consider the work of this Iraq-born British artist, for instance.

What is in a letter, you wonder. Sabah Arbilli’s master-strokes will tell you a thousand things.

Keep Alif, the first letter in the Arabic alphabet, in mind and contemplate when you see one of his masterpieces. The more you fix your eyes on the perplexing pyramid of interwoven letters, the more it unveils hidden meanings; putting each disclosure into a whole new perspective.

Alif is where it all starts and everything revolves around it. Using his unique art, Arbilli simply puts the letters up in the space for the viewer to see them from all possible angles. The rest is all interpretation.

“I try to translate the beauty of the letter into a free shape. Why should we be held back by any rules? What is more important is the meaning behind it so I try to explain and give a meaning to an apparently simple letter,” Arbilli tells Community at the opening of his latest exhibition titled Alif at the InterContinental Doha The City hotel.

Alif is the first letter from the revealed word ‘Iqra’ which means read. Muslims believe this to be the first word revealed by God. Thus, it is the first letter in the Arabic alphabet and also the inspiration behind Arbilli’s collection of works.

Standing beside a 200-kilogram steel structure made up entirely of Arabic letters rising from the ground up in the form of a pyramid, the artist sheds light on this particular piece of art.

“This is called ‘Rise Again, and Again’. Basically, this is an Arabic letter and Arabic poetry and I used the forum of free shape to give, as we say, the three dimensional vibe to it. Why should we look at the letter in 2D when we can hold it in our hand and feel the whole greatness of the letter,” reasons Arbilli as he explains the idea behind the artwork.

His new work examines themes in history, identity and place. Arbilli utilises the power of the brush strokes, reflecting the real experience of the past and present of Iraq, his war-wrecked homeland. He links this with the ‘Revelation’ in the holy month of Ramadan. Holy Qu’ran was revealed in this month.

In a live painting display, he made his audience resonate with the same soulful energy that he used on a canvas with his brush.

“I envisage lands which relate to the echo in my ear, taking me back to a place where I see harmony and tranquility. I see the forms of the letter all around me waiting to unravel a meaning of hidden truth. I smell the place and sense my presence and belonging which I to share with the audience,” alludes the artist.

Arbilli is an award-winning artist known for his skill in calligraphy and sculpture. He has made a substantial impact in the art of Arabic calligraphy, bringing it to the forefront of the international scene over the last 15 years. As a pioneer of the genre, Arbilli has become a key figure in calligraphy art, lending it a new contemporary style.

He brings the same love of calligraphy out in the public realm using both installation and performance. His work is his signature. Arbilli says he tries to create a style that people, wherever they see it, immediately recognise it as his work. “It happens. Wherever they see my work even without my signature people know this is my style,” says the Iraqi-British artist, with a hint of pride.

About the steel installation work that took him three months to complete, Arbilli says it was his specialty. “Everybody looks at the letter. It is not just a letter, it is a story, it is a creation, it is 3-dimensional, as I said, I try to give more meaning to it. It is a free form,” Arbilli holds forth.

Another steel structure, this one in the form of circle, is all made of letters. It is silver in colour. The artist says it was based on a verse of the Holy Qu’ran, talking about “Noor” (the light). The reason he used the light colour was that it reflects the meaning of the verse and in each direction the viewer can see the light in a different way.

These pieces of art, Arbilli says, are the result of a long process. “They say the artists are crazy. You are in love with your work, in fact. It is a passion more than anything else,” says the master calligrapher.

He was a calligrapher when he realised the need to communicate with people through art. It was then that he tried to create this new form of art (installation) and since then, he says he’s happy to see how “it has taken wings.”

Born in Arbil, Iraq in 1977, Arbilli began his journey to become one of the top Arabic calligraphy artists at a very young age. It was during his time at a primary school that his teacher noticed his unique handwriting and named him ‘Sabah Al-Khattat’ (the calligrapher).

This encouragement had a positive impact on Arbilli’s development as an artist, leading him to become passionate about this form of art.

Arbilli was also fascinated by the writings of masters in Iraq and grew up trying to reproduce their styles and artistic forms. In 1997, his knowledge of calligraphy deepened with the start of engineering degree at the University of Saladin in Arbil, Iraq. He found the relationship between the principles of calligraphy and engineering. It made him look at calligraphy with greater accuracy.

After settling in the United Kingdom, Arbilli collaborated with various artists in the field of calligraphy, enabling communities to see the beauty of calligraphy along with the similarities and differences between the varying styles.

In 2002, after taking part in the Mus-haf Qatar competition organised by the Ministry of Awqaf in Qatar, Arbilli found himself amongst the finalists chosen to write the whole Qu’ran for the final phase of the competition.

He terms it as “the greatest moment in my life, a turning-point in becoming a full-time artist.” How would you describe your work in one line? “Sharing beauty,” says the artist before signing off as he mixes with the audience appreciating his work displayed in the lobby of the hotel.

Arbilli also takes his work around the world, taking part in various international exhibitions and workshops in order to share his passion and experience with the audience.

InterContinental Doha The City said it was privileged to host Arbilli’s art exhibition. “As part of our ongoing commitment to support local artists, we are delighted to host Sabah Aribilli’s Alif exhibition at our hotel,” said Cedric Gaillard, Hotel Manager, InterContinental Doha The City.

“It is through Sabah’s pieces that we can find inspiration and further reflect on the meaning of Ramadan and the celebration of Eid,” he added.

The Alif exhibition consisting of paintings, sculptures and installations will remain on display in the lobby area of InterContinental Doha The City through September 17, 2014 and is open to general public.