Damascus hosts workshops and group exhibition on Iranian arts of calligraphy and gilding

The workshops on the arts of Arabic calligraphy and gilding, involving four Iranian artists and a group of Syrian artists and calligraphers, are a valuable opportunity for dialogue, exchange of experiences and knowledge of the specificity of these arts in both countries.

 

The workshops that were carried out in cooperation with the Society of the “Arab Calligraphy and Art’ House”  were accompanied by an exhibition entitled “Iranian Artistic Touches” at the Iranian Cultural Chancellery. 

 

About 40 paintings in the arts of calligraphy and miniaturization, with the participation of Iranian calligrapher Abdullah Zadeh and Iranian artists Leila Azimi, Zahra Khalqi and Zahra Shaqlani, are displayed in the exhibition.

 

Concerning the exhibition, the artist, Shaqlani, who specializes in the art of the miniature, told SANA that the exhibition , together with the workshops, provided an opportunity to introduce Iranian calligraphy and decoration arts to artists and the public in Syria, and to exchange experiences, which in her opinion, will be reflected in the future work of the participants.

 

Artist Reem Qobtan, Head of the House of Arabic Calligraphy and Arts, explained that the event is a step towards strengthening dialogue and cultural exchange between the two friendly countries and participants in order to gain access to new knowledge in the arts of calligraphy, decoration, gilding, and miniature.

 

On the other hand, the calligrapher Adham Al – Jaafari, who participated in the workshop, pointed out that the event, has provided an opportunity for the exchange of experiences and knowledge between Iranian and Syrian calligraphers, particularly in the arts of gilding paintings and their implementation, especially for young artists. He considered that such real – life events are important for all artists to achieve true communication.

 

The calligrapher Ahmad Siwar, who participated in the workshop, indicated that the event had made it possible to learn about the methods of implementing Iranian calligraphy and miniature, especially the Nastaliq script, stressing that such joint events with Iranian artists are important and must continue to exchange experiences among artists specialized in Arabic calligraphy.

 

Young artists, Nour Najeba and Maysa Al-Daqer, expressed their pleasure in participating in the workshop, in which participants acquired new expertise,  and artistic and technical knowledge in the arts of gilding, while learning about the secrets of the art of miniature painting using gouache and acrylic techniques, besides the visual and artistic pleasure offered by the works of the exhibition.

 

Mustafa Maddah Nazari, the exhibition technical director, explained that Iranian art is about a thousand years old. Its inscriptions were quoted from the Sassanid era, which were mixed with Islamic arts and were influenced by them in terms of aesthetics and the documentation of novels, especially customary, describing the event as a bridge of communication between the two friendly peoples to create artistic civilized cooperation.

 

The workshop continues its activities until the end of the week at the Dummar Museum of Modern Art, in cooperation with the Directorate of Fine Arts, within the Celebration of the Syrian Formation Days held by the Ministry of Culture.

 

Amal Farhat