Khaled Al-Saai / The Sea: Poem by Mahmoud Darwish / watercolour, aquarell on paper / 2006 / Kashya Hildebrand

Al Saai works in an astonishing range of styles, from decorous classical modes, which he often uses for quotations from poetry, to radically inventive compositions, in which lettering is fragmented into fantastical, almost pictorial compositions. The breathtaking beauty of his work makes it immediately accessible to all.

The Thulth style of calligraphy is the strongest of the Arabic calligraphy styes, created during the Abbasid period in the 9th century in Baghdad.  Most of the letters in this style are the shape of a triangle at the top and the vowels are added as decoration.

The Diwany Jalii and the Thulth styles are the most decorative. They are influenced by three Islamic schools of calligraphy (Arabic, Persian and Ottoman).  Diwany evolved during the Ottoman Era (1670 to 1700). {Read More…}

Jem Southam / Vaucottes / February 2006 / 46.5 x 55.25 inches / edition of 6 / chromogenic dye coupler print / © Jem Southam. Courtesy of the artist and Robert Mann Gallery

I almost have to stop using my preamble “I’m not usually a fan of photography, but…” A great example of abstract photography. For me these photos are about the colors and the compositions. They become something more than a literal record of the cliffs of Normandy. The geometry of the compositions create a powerful sense of space that for me communicate the embodied feeling of standing at the cliffs. William Myers writing in the New York Sun had this to say:

What I see in Mr. Southam’s images is a meticulous use of found materials to produce complex works of abstract design. They are like the nonobjective paintings of mid-century except, of course, they are objective. Or they are like highly patterned Islamic art, except the patterns do not recur. Colors, shapes, and scale are the elements of these sophisticated compositions. [Read more...]

Jem Southam: The Rockfalls of Normandy
March 10 – May 20
Robert Mann Gallery
www.robertmann.com