Nja Mahdaoui

Nja Mahdaoui, (born in 1937) is a Tunisian artist known for his use of calligraphy as a graphic art form. He has often been described as a ‘choreographer of letters.'[1]

Nja Mahdaoui
Born1937 (age 82–83)
Tunis, Tunisia
NationalityTunisian
EducationCarthage National Museum; Santa Andrea Academy, Rome; École du Louvre, Paris
MovementHurufiyya movement
WebsiteNja-Mahdaoui.com

Early life and education

Nja Mahdaoui was born in Tunis in 1937.[2] He initially studied painting and art history at Carthage National Museum,[3] but was later, encouraged by the Director of the Italian Cultural Centre in Tunis, studied painting and philosophy at the Santa Andrea Academy in Rome (1966-68).[2] He later moved to Paris to go to the Cité internationale des arts and where he attended courses at the École du Louvre.[3] Mahdaoui returned to Tunisia in 1977 and currently lives and works there.[4]

Career

Mahdaoui began his career as an abstract painter in the 1960s, then continued by experimenting with Arabic calligraphy.[5] Mahdaoui has tried various traditional and experimental media. He produced his first paintings on parchment in 1972, he became interested in weaving and carpet production in 1979 and he began to paint on animal skins and on the human body in 1980.[3] Today he is known as the "inventor of abstract calligraphy," since his designs resemble Arabic letters, but have no literal meaning. When asked about his style Mahdaoui said, "I use fragmented and distorted letters to reject valuing each character." [5] He started using his own personal 'calligrams' on various mediums such as: canvas, papyrus, sculpture, aluminum, brass, drum, textile, embroidery, tapestry, ceramic, wood, jewelry, stained steel glass, planes, etc.[1] On account of his use of calligraphy in art, he is said to be part of the Hurufiyah art movement.[6]

Mahdaoui is of a generation of Arab artists who studied abroad but sought inspiration from their traditional roots.[4] Mahdaoui focused on the poetic quality of Arabic text, and invented a graphic style involving calligraphic works.[7] Rose Issa, a curator, has described his work saying, "Mahdaoui is careful not to emphasize the meaning of words but stresses instead the visual effect of compositions. His 'calligrams evoke infinite pleasures in rhythms, fast or slow, born from tension of the wrist, somewhat in the manner of a melodic flow, rising and fading away".[8]

In 2000, he was also selected by Gulf Air to design the external decoration of its fleet for the airline's fiftieth anniversary.[4] He has also created monumental stained-glass windows for public buildings in the United Arab Emirates.[5] Mahdaoui followed his love of music, costume, and performance by using different media to apply his 'calligrams' to a wide range of objects such as large denim hangings, musicians' costumes, and a bass drum.[9] The bass drum was created in 1998 with wood and given calligraphic embellishments by Mahdaoui.[9] When asked about this piece Mahdaoui said,"This drum, transformed into a silent sculpture, has temporarily ceased to be an instrument; it simply exists. Its cultural function - as a catalyst to the senses articulated through formal and improvised melody - has been interrupted. More importantly, it has renounced its particular voice as part of a collective artistic performance. Instead, with its multiplicity of resonances, it has become a dynamic symbol of cultural pluralism, a kind of 'total art' to which people throughout the world can respond in a myriad different ways."[2]

Exhibitions

Mahdaoui has participated in both solo and group exhibitions worldwide. His work can be found in private and public international collections, including:

Museum of Modern Art, Tunis

Museum of Modern Art, Baghdad

British Museum, London

Smithsonian Museum, Washington, DC

Bibliothéque Nationale and Institut du Monde Arabe, Paris

National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh

Jordan National Gallery of Fine Arts, Amman

Jeddah and Riyadh's international airports[4]

New Sahara Gallery in the Los Angeles suburb of Northridge[5]

Institut des cultures arabes et méditerranéennes, Geneva [10]

Awards

'The UNESCO Crafts Prize for the Arab States' in 2005[2]

'Great prize for Arts and Letters’ from the Tunisian Ministry of culture in 2006[1]

'First Prize at the Fifth International Calligraphy and Calligraph-Art Exhibition' in Kabul, 2007[4]

gollark: That's basically what I said (the extra volume of halloween stuff mucks up the ratios).
gollark: Any opinions on my theory of what's going on with the pricing? Basically, I said that if extra dragons are introduced to the total but not the rest of the system (golds, whatever else), then rarer stuff's ratios will be affected more than common stuff, so the gold pricing goes crazy and nebulae stay the same.
gollark: 3.
gollark: My theory of what's up, copied from the forum thread:If many new eggs are being introduced to the system, then that will most affect the stuff which is rarest, by making it rarer by comparison, but commons will stay the same. As for why it happened now? Weekly updates, possibly.Example:Imagine there are 200 dragons, 5 of which are golds.The ratio of golds to total dragons is now 5:200 = 1:40. If the target ratio is 1:50 then prices will be higher to compensate.Now imagine there are an extra 200 dragons added, none of which are golds.The ratio would then be 5:400 = 1:80. Then, assuming the same target, prices will drop.This is of course simplified, and the ratios may not work like this, but this matches observed behavior pretty well.
gollark: That why was rhetorical.

See also

References
  1. Mahdaoui, Molka. "Nja Mahdaoui". Nja Mahdaoui. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  2. Spring, Christopher (28 November 2008). Angaza Africa: African Art Now. London: Laurence King. pp. 178–181.
  3. Vernoit, S.J. "Mahdaoui, Nja". Grove Art Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  4. "Artists Resource". Meem Gallery. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  5. Twair, Pat McDonnell (2011). "World-Class Tunisian Artists Exhibited At Ne Sahara Gallery In L.A. Suburb". Washington Report on Middle East Affairs: 38–39.
  6. Mavrakis, N., "The Hurufiyah Art Movement in Middle Eastern Art," McGill Journal of Middle Eastern Studies Blog, Online: https://mjmes.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/article-5
  7. Richards, Paul. "Africa". Grover Art Online. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 21 November 2014.
  8. Geers, Kendell; Ross, Doran H. Ross (Summer 1996). "africa95: Many Stories about the Art of a Continent". African Arts. 29 (3): 6.
  9. Spring, Christopher; Barley, Nigel; Hudson, Julie (Autumn 2001). "The Sainsbury African Galleries at the British Museum". African Arts. 34 (3): 20.
  10. "ARTISTES". Institut des cultures arabes et méditerranéennes (ICAM). 14 July 2014. Retrieved 25 January 2020.
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