Abdullah Akar delineates Arabic calligraphy on Al Arabiya’s ‘Nawafeth’

Born to a Bedouin family in the south of Tunisia, prominent calligrapher Abdullah Akar traveled to Paris in the late 1960s in pursuit of higher education. His journey initially began when he met his mentor calligrapher Ghanem al-Aani, changing the course of his career from science to formative arts and Arabic calligraphy.

Several other factors have shaped his artistic tendencies and the accuracy and structure of his work. Some of which were his career as a mathematics teacher as well as his passion for old and contemporary Arabic poetry.

Tunisian artist Abdullah Akar

“My artwork is a manifestation of the Seven Suspended Odes. I started painting on ultra-transparent fabrics then moved to iron, textile and glass,” Akar said. “I am always focusing on good texts.”



Akar has broken the silence engulfing Arabic calligraphy by placing it under the spotlight and further blending it with fabric and painting brush to go beyond all the established rules. He preserves the value of Arabic letters and does not compromise it for the sake of colors, beauty or abstract painting.

Taking a deep reflective look at Akar’s paintings, one may be stunned with the shift he made from science to arts and ornamental formation of Arabic letters as he mastered both skills, namely, formative arts and highlighting Arabic letters.

An episode of ‘Nawafeth’ (Arabic for ‘Windows’) series featuring Akar was run on Al Arabiya News Channel on Saturday. ‘Nawafeth’ features fine artists from the Arab World.

The series is to release 100 episodes that will showcase profiles of the artists working in different art forms.

To read more and view Abdullah Akar’s art please follow the link:

http://enawafeth.alarabiya.net/content/no-compromise-style-letters-sake-colors-1