Islamic art has always had its own unique look and Instagram now features aspiring artists sharing their work. Here are five you should be following.
@elseed
French calligrapher eL Seed blends Arabic calligraphy with graffiti. The result is beautiful art that also serves as thought-provoking messages aiming to break down stereotypes and promote Arab culture around the world. Seed’s graffiti calls for peace and tolerance. He says that the beauty of Arabic script, even if you can’t read it, is that it can change negative perceptions of Arab culture.
@ruhalalam
Ruh Al-Alam is a British calligrapher with a fine art background. He studied traditional Arabic calligraphy in Egypt. Ruh’s work is renowned for being innovative and has been featured on the BBC, Channel 4, and the National Portrait Gallery. Ruh is known to be the first person to have coined the term ‘Visual Dhikr’ (Visual Remembrance) and is dedicated to creating new products that infuse the spiritual Visual Dhikr concept.
@artofthepen
Soraya Syed describes her work as a bridge between the spiritual and material, the visual and the verbal. Her creations adopt a contemporary approach mixed with historical themes. Soraya studied Islamic Art and her work has been featured in the British Museum. In 2016, she was commissioned by the Royal Shakespeare Company to produce a work based on a piece of writing by Shakespeare.
@julien_breton_aka_kaalam
French artist Julien Breton creates stunning photographic light paintings. Breton incorporates urban environments against dimmed architectural backdrops. He says through his work he aims to create a semantic bridge between Arabian and Western culture in order to create a universal language. By using a Latin-based alphabet and Arabic calligraphy, the end result is breath-taking.
@Massoudy
Massoudy has been dubbed the ‘greatest living calligrapher’. He grew up in Najef in a time where art was forbidden. His creations are a dynamic amalgamation of traditional and modern art. Massoudy draws inspiration from proverbs, poets and philosophers. Peace and tolerance are often the themes of his work which led him to work with Amnesty International and UNICEF amongst others.
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