Contemporary Arabic Calligraphy

Abdelmalik Nounouhi

Visual Artist

Calligrapher

Moroccan visual artist. Lives and works in Paris, France.

Arabic calligraphy is the foundation and inspiration of Abdelmalik Nounouhi's artistic expression. Through his creations, he uses the Arabic letter as the main architecture of his work, while infusing it with his own personal, contemporary style and interpretation.

Since ancient times, the art of calligraphy has evolved as a bridge between the spiritual and the material, the verbal and the visual, carrying the Arabic letter around the world.

When we speak of calligraphy, we mean beautiful handwriting in which the calligrapher follows the rules laid down by the masters of calligraphy. But when we talk about the "art of Arabic calligraphy", we're entering a whole new realm.

It means entering the realm of art, with all its essential characteristics of imaginative expression, individuality, creativity, aesthetic standards and creative freedom. Here we are confronted with the vision of an artist supported by the skill of a calligrapher.

& Arabic Calligraphy

Painting , Lettering

Arabic calligraphy is not just a form of writing, it is also an autonomous visual art form that combines the precision of lettering with aesthetics and artistic creativity.

By meticulously manipulating the shape, size and essence of the letters in search of a careful balance of curves, lines and dots, a rhythmic flow is created, transforming calligraphic Arabic letters into a captivating and unique visual experience.

In the space of the canvas, made up of paints, colours and pigmented inks, the letters of the Arabic alphabet move freely without being limited to their primary linguistic function. They are not simply elements used to form words, but they take over the canvas entirely, physically, to become the main actors of an artistic language, expressing a calligraphic composition that is abstract in meaning, but so full of imagery that it becomes a kind of universal visual poetry.

Modern Arabic Calligraphy

Inks & Papers

The art of Arabic calligraphy, also known as "Khatt" or the trace in Arabic, is a timeless art form.

It's all about the trace, the trace of an inner story that the letters carry and that the breath, like a voice, brings to the surface of the paper. The "Qalam" (reed cut for calligraphy) is like a flute, and the calligrapher's breath gives it movement, inspiration and a musical cadence. The hand and the ink mark the gesture, trace the lines, make the curves dance, giving birth to a choreography of the letter, a calligraphy of movement, a visual sonata.

Light is interposed in the shadows of colour, the letters embrace the calligraphic forms, and the composition becomes movement, dance and abstraction.

NEWSLETTER