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Weaving an artistic and linguistic path through infinity and beyond, Bahraini creative Ali Al Bazzaz hopes to take visitors on an unforgettable journey in his most recent exhibition.
In Abandon & Manifest now being exhibited at the Mashq Art Space in Buquwah’s Argan Village, artist, cartoonist and calligrapher explores the artistic side of Arabic writing in 10 stunning pieces.
“The title of this exhibition was inspired by Sufi culture,” the 44-year-old artist told GulfWeekly during a recent tour.
“Even though I am not Sufi myself, I have been fascinated by its philosophy and way of looking at our relationship with God.
“Much of the focus in Sufism is on oneself as opposed to the others, and they constantly strive to be better versions of themselves.
“There is an idea within Sufism about letting go of things so you can manifest better qualities within yourself, as you embark on your journey within.”
In his 10 mixed media on canvas pieces, Ali plays with Arabic letters and words as artistic elements, juxtaposing them with colour symbolism to evoke an expanse of emotions.
“As a calligrapher, each turn and stroke of a character represents an emotional turn, and using classical calligraphy with chaotic arrangements of colours, I am always intrigued by the reaction that it provokes in the viewers,” he explained.
The key to unlocking each painting lies within the colours used in each piece, ranging from white symbolising purity, black representing a strong presence, and yellow reflecting the light and sky.
To create the letters within each piece, Ali has used cut-up canvas pieces to craft each composition.
“I have also integrated the idea of infinity, which we find in many cultures represented through the shape of a circle, which doesn’t have a start or end point,” he added.
“In some of these pieces, I have also integrated the idea of a dot, which can represent the beginning of a journey.”
Through his fourth art exhibition and his wide-spanning body of work, Ali hopes to bring people together, and unite them while inspiring them to embark on their own journeys within.
While his cartooning work was very clear in its meaning, Ali wants to leave the interpretations of the pieces in his fourth exhibition up to the viewers.
Ali’s journey into calligraphy began at the age of 12, growing up in Manama as the youngest of 12 siblings.
Back then, in the 80s and 90s, there wasn’t much specialised equipment available for calligraphy, so he had to create his own tools, and scavenge whatever he could find.
“I remember, I was always looking for glossy paper because of how clean the lines came out on it,” he explained.
Although many in his family were artistically inclined and he descended from a line of textile designers, his parents initially discouraged him from getting into art, worried that it might not be a sustainable career.
This was around the time that he became fascinated with drawing cartoons, inspired by Bahraini cartoonists like Abdulla Al Muharraqi.
In 1997, he mailed his first submission and that spanned a 15-year journey through a career in cartooning.
In 2013, he started running artist workshops and opened Mashq in 2015.
Today, the space may have moved locations, but its mission remains the same - to unite people and offer young Bahrainis an outlet for their creativity, no matter what their chosen art form.
Abandon & Manifest runs until the end of Ramadan. For more details, follow @mashqart on Instagram.
