Poetic Ontology is a solo exhibition by established Tunisian painter and calligrapher Abdallah Akar. Taking place at Khawla Art Gallery in Dubai, it displays a collection of his modern Arabic calligraphic works inspired by renowned Arab poets. Offering a visual feast for art enthusiasts and curious minds alike, the show will remain open until the 30th of June, 2024.
Akar’s vibrant mixed-media art pieces presented in the Poetic Ontology exhibit delve into themes of existence and emotional depth. Blending text and visual art, they invite spectators to explore a universal resonance of love, reflection, and strife.
About the artist
Abdallah Akar (b. 1952, Tunisia) resides in Paris (France), where he moved in the late 1960s to study science at Paris VII University, however, it was Arabic calligraphy that eventually captured all his attention. In 1980, Akar met Ghani Alani (and later trained under) an Iraqi master of calligraphy, which changed the course of his career from science to formative arts. Since 1993, the artist has taught calligraphy at the Institut du Monde Arabe (Paris).
Akar takes cues from old and contemporary Arabic poetry (for example, works by Omar Al Khayyam and Mahmoud Darwish) as well as Western poetry. Working from his Val d’Oise studio, the artist creates unique pieces using a luminous colour palette. In them, he spotlights Arabic calligraphy and blends it with fabric and paint brush to challenge all the traditional boundaries. Akar preserves the intrinsic value of Arabic letters and does not compromise it for the sake of beauty or abstract painting. Apart from typical paper and canvas, he also employs other materials, such as textile, wood, and metal, to produce his art pieces.
In 2000, the artist created one of his remarkable artworks: a notable installation comprising 16 textiles adorned with calligraphy, paying tribute to pre-Islamic poetry. This was followed in 2007 by the publication of Poèmes Suspendus (Muallaq’at) in both French and Arabic.
Since 1986, when he held his first solo show, Akar has displayed his creations in multiple solo and group exhibitions as well as art events in Sharjah, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Muscat (Oman), Doha (Qatar), Paris, London (the UK), Miami (USA), Tunis, Vienna (Austria), Kenitra (Morocco), Genoa (Italy), and other cities. Among the artist’s achievements is winning the Contemporary Calligraphy Prize at Sharjah Biennial 2016.
To get more information about Poetic Ontology, please visit the official web page of the show.
Additionally, you might be interested in exploring the In the Round exhibition by Pakistani artist Lala Rukh, which is on view at the Sharjah Art Museum.
