ABU DHABI, 9th February, 2014 (WAM) -- Paris Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, has concluded its Arabic Calligraphy exhibition, organised on the university?s Reem Island campus, which hosted the Emirati artist and master calligrapher, Mohammed Yusuf Mandi.
Students, faculty, and visitors viewed the artist?s greatest masterpieces and enjoyed his detailed explanations on the history of Arabic calligraphy and typefaces. Over two months, the exhibition welcomed a choice selection of personalities and visitors interested in the Emirati cultural movement, garnering a huge turnout of PSU Abu Dhabi students and faculty members in addition to cultural and diplomatic figures, ministers, and officials such as the Minister Delegate for French Nationals Abroad, Helene Conway-Mouret, Michel Miraillet, Ambassador of France to the U.A.E. and Michael H. Corbin, Ambassador of the United States. The event and the exhibited artworks have been widely lauded and PSUAD praised for promoting dialogue, disseminating learning, culture, and authentic art, and preserving Arabic calligraphy and the design of Arabic type. Prof. Dr. Eric Fouache, PSUAD Vice-Chancellor, thanked the generous artist for his contributions and creative output in terms of Arabic calligraphy, both at the local and regional scene, noting that Arabic calligraphy is an important art form which PSUAD is keen to support. Prof. Fouache said that he hoped the art of calligraphy would flourish further and that special schools and academies would be created to teach calligraphy. He said that Arabs and Muslims have always fostered and promoted calligraphy which they incorporated into their designs, architecture, and artistic creations. Mohammed Mandi, speaking at the closing of the show, reflected on his artistic career, observing that he received his Bachelor?s degree in calligraphy from the Arabic Calligraphy Improvement School in Cairo in 1977, graduating at the top of his class. The artist has been commissioned to create type for the passports of the U.A.E., Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman. "When I was young, I copied the style of renowned calligraphers. After secondary school, my hobby became a livelihood. I worked for some Arab magazines and started to receive commissions from storeowners for signboards and design. But I wanted to gain more experience and further my education. So I joined the Arabic Calligraphy Improvement School in Cairo. "I returned to Abu Dhabi with many projects in mind for Arabic calligraphy and painting. The first such project was a large-scale mural for the New Dubai Hospital which depicts ancient medicine as practiced in the Arabian Gulf and modern medicine with its contemporary instruments. I ornamented the mural on four sides with Quranic verses illuminating the benefits of ancient medicine and the ongoing quest for medical development."Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2014.
