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Did you know that Lahd Gallery has teamed up with Fashion ComPassion? Fashion ComPassion is the premium ethical fashion house which supports and empowers marginalised and uderpriviliged women from Asia and the Middle East.

Inspired by the art of calligraphy, a range of limited edition bags and jewellery is currently shown at Lahd Gallery, as part of the 'Arabic Calligraphy: The Art of The Written Word' exhibition, which will be on until December 14!

Artist and graphic designer Shukor Yahya

Shukor Yahya is an artist and a graphic designer. He was born in Kluang, Johor and now resides in Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. He completed his Bachelor degree in Graphic Design from University Teknologi MARA in 1976 and went on to obtain his Masters degree in Art and Design Education from DeMonfort University in Leicester in 2002.

With over thirty years of experience in graphic design, Shukor Yahya has revolutionised the art of the Kufi square – the oldest calligraphic form whose origins could be traced way before the coming of Islam, first used in ancient religious scripts – into a contemporary form that we see today.

Through the revival of the art of the Kufi square, he quickly earned a reputation for his unique approach to painting. His individuality in style has mesmerised numerous art enthusiasts over the years. Having started painting kufi squares about five years ago, he is currently a full time artist and dedicates all his time to his art.

His work will be shown at Lahd Gallery until December 14, as part of the exhibition 'Arabic Calligraphy: The Art of The Written Word'.

Artist Said Adrus at Lahd Gallery

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Said Adrus was born in Kampala, East Africa of Indian Muslim Parents who migrated to Kenya before the Indian Partition of 1947.

Displaced to Switzerland in early 1970’S with his family, Said’s formative years were spent in Burgdorf near Berne where the family still live. Having to adapt to new environment and learn German and French languages, Said continued his Secondary Education in Europe.

Later Said Adrus came to Britain and studied Fine Art at Nottingham & London Universities. As an International Artist, for the past 20 years Said has worked on numerous projects in Europe, New York, Havana and more recently in Mumbai, India. Said’s films and Installations have been screened at Kunsthalle Bern, Shedhalle Zurich, Tate Britain and last year (2010) at Rio Cinema in Stockholm, Sweden.

Said Adrus is a Visiting Fellow at East London University, London. His installation will be exhibited at Lahd Gallery until December 14, as part of the 'Arabic Calligraphy: The Art of The Written Word' group show.

Two-dimensional calligraphy by artist Madny Al Bakry

Madny Al Bakry was born in the tropical island of Zanzibar. He grew up in an environment which was a visual feast of harmonious colours enhanced by tropical sunlight. His childhood continues to influence his work to this day and is the driving force behind his creativity.

Madny’s works present a new visual stimulation for his audience. Unlike the traditional two-dimensional Arabic calligraphy in limited colours, Madny’s work is unusual in its colour palette. His distinctive style and exquisite use of colours and themes have an ethereal quality while his presentation is contemporary and elegant. Providing depth and perspective, his eye catching works lures the senses of the connoisseurs.

Madny Al Bakry now lives and works in Muscat, Oman. His work will be shown at Lahd Gallery until December 14, as part of the exhibition 'Arabic Calligraphy: The Art of The Written Word'.

Light calligraphy artist Julien Breton

Completely self-taught and unable to speak Arabic, the French artist Julien Breton has developed his own unique form of virtual calligraphy, based on a Latin-style alphabet and inspired by an Arabic and Eastern aesthetic. With a multi-cultural take on calligraphy, Breton’s work incorporates the cultural identity and style of East and West, often taking inspiration from western philosophy, hip hop and street art.

He works with calligraphy with the desire to transcend the very meaning of the sentence to generate a clean aesthetic – a balanced form that stands out from the arbitrary letter composition that makes up a word or phrase. His lack of knowledge of codes, rules of calligraphy enabled him to detach himself from any coercion and rules. That allowed him to mix styles with the desire to create a universal language, without barriers or code.

Despite not being able to speak Arabic, Julien Breton he says that everyday brings him closer to the language and culture.

Julien's works will be displayed at Lahd Gallery until December 14, as part of the exhibition 'Arabic Calligraphy: The Art of The Written Word'.

Calligraphy artist Hamid Nasir at Lahd Gallery

Born in 1965, Pakistani artist Hamid Nasir started painting from an early age. At that time, there were numerous prominent artists including the old master Allah-Bux in the city of Wazeerabad (Gujranwala), which provided a good nurturing environment for the arts.

Hamid Nasir is best known for his calligraphy using fine hand Urdu script called the Nastaleeq. During this time, he executed several landscape and portrait works using various medium. Greatly inspired by the famous calligraphy artist Sadqain, he looked for new inventive ways to represent colour through observing several works from the famous and renowned calligraphic artists.

Hamid Nasir feels that the art of calligraphy has enabled him to connect to the unspoken secrets of life, and while his art has progressed day to day, he still feels that the vastness of the art of calligraphy makes him realise that knowledge of the written word is infinite and limitless.

Hamid Nasir's work will be exhibited at Lahd Gallery until December 14, 2011.

Tunisian artist Abdallah Akar

Born in Tunisia, Abdallah Akar arrived in France to pursue Science studies at Paris VII University. Very quickly, and almost naturally, he felt drawn to the visual arts. In 1980, he met an Iraqi calligrapher, Ghani Alani who has since been a powerful influence in Akar’s artistic development. In the following years, he exhibited in France as well as in Tunisia. During this time, he shared his time between Calligraphy, and multiple collaborations at the INSTITUT du MONDE ARABE, Paris, as well as numerous seminars in France and around the world and established his Val d’Oise studio – close to Paris.

During the early 2000s, he completed an Installation: 16 textiles richly decorated with calligraphy, a tribute to the Pre-Islamic poetry, followed in 2007 by a publication of Poèmes Suspendus (Muallaq’at) edited in both languages, French and Arabic.

Abdallah Akar is always searching for a renewed rendition of the calligraphic language, exploring mediums such as fabric, canvas, wood and even glass. He shows his work extensively in Europe and is a well known artist on the Middle Eastern contemporary art scene.

Abdallah's works will be displayed at Lahd Gallery until December 14, as part of the exhibition Arabic Calligraphy: The Art of The Written Word.

Don't miss Lahd Gallery's current exhibition 'Arabic Calligraphy: The Art of The Written Word'

On October 20 2011, Lahd Gallery opened its first calligraphic art exhibition in London featuring several artists from around the world. The exhibition traces the art of calligraphy to its historical origins and explores how it has developed into an exacting craft of high aesthetic sensibility.The participating artists come from varied and diverse backgrounds: Abdallah Akar and Julien Breton both from France, Madny Al Bakry from Oman, Shukor Yahya from Malaysia, Hamid Nasir from Pakistan and India born Said Adrus residing in the UK . From an early time, calligraphy became the most important art form in the Middle East, connected to all aspects of its rich and immense cultural heritage. Across several centuries, the Arabic character has been the sphere of continuous innovation and this subtle art form has further transformed into some of the contemporary forms that are seen today.

Arabic Calligraphy: The Art of The Written Word demonstrates how the different artistic styles unify a common thought as a reflection of human culture. Calligraphy is an art that is not only visually appealing, but it contains a strong message as well. The underlying essence of Arabic calligraphy remains in the power of the words and offers a strong link to its rich early heritage.

Lahd Gallery has teamed up with Fashion ComPassion, the premium ethical fashion house which supports and empowers marginalised and underprivileged women from Asia and the Middle East. A range of limited edition bags and jewellery inspired by the art of calligraphy at the exhibition is shown.