TORONTO: The ongoing “Inherited Lines” exhibition, organized by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority in collaboration with Alliance Francaise Dubai and DiarBid ArtHouse, celebrates Arabic calligraphy by bringing together veteran calligraphers and recent graduates under one roof.
The exhibition features 20 works spanning a range of styles, from classical calligraphic structures to more abstract, ornamented compositions.
Artists include established calligraphers Hussam Abdelwahab, Abdulrazzak Mahmoud and Bahman Zahedi alongside graduates of Dubai Culture’s Arabic Calligraphy, Ornamentation and Gilding program, which launched last year.
Graduate participants include Sabeena Shajahan, Nemat Meqdady, Rasha Majeed, Entesar Ahmed, Suzan Murad, Nadia Siraj and an artist who goes by the name Sah.
The decision to show emerging and established artists together is deliberate.
Shaima Rashed Al-Suwaidi, CEO of the Arts, Design and Literature Sector at Dubai Culture, said the exhibition is designed to give graduates a professional platform, not just a certificate.
“Success is not limited to organizing initiatives, but in creating long-term ecosystems where emerging talent can continue growing professionally, exhibiting publicly, and contributing meaningfully to the cultural sector,” she told Arab News.
The title, “Inherited Lines,” is a nod to the idea that Arabic calligraphy is transmitted knowledge — a disciplined system of proportion, geometry and composition that artists inherit and then remake.
“The exhibition itself mirrors this balance through the diversity of works presented, bringing together different styles, schools, and approaches to Arabic calligraphy and ornamentation,” Al-Suwaidi said.
“It highlights how these art forms continue to develop while preserving their cultural and aesthetic foundations.”
Al-Suwaidi said Arabic calligraphy occupies a distinct place in Arab culture, existing at the intersection of language, visual art, design, ornamentation and cultural expression.
Its presence across architecture, manuscripts, textiles, ceramics and public spaces reflects its deep connection to the region’s identity and creative history.
She added that the reach extends beyond the Arab world. Many non-Arab artists are drawn to calligraphy through its geometry and visual structure, and their participation — Shajahan among them — reflects how the form travels across cultural contexts.
The exhibition runs until June 5 at La Galerie, Alliance Francaise Dubai.
