Skip to content

Muslim, Christian and Jewish calligraphy exhibition opens at Woolf Institute

The Woolf Institute Calligraphy by Maaida NoorThe Woolf Institute
Maaida Noor's art is influenced by the world of geometry and traditional Islamic illumination

An exhibition of Arabic and Hebrew calligraphy reveals "the interlaced nature" of the three faith traditions, its organiser has said.

Artists Joumana Medlej, Michel D'Anastasio and Maaida Noor will showcase their work at the Woolf Institute in Cambridge.

Muslim, Christian and Jewish texts will be included in the exhibition.

The Woolf Institute was set up to encourage tolerance and understanding between the different faiths.

The Woolf Institute Calligraphy by Joumana MedlejThe Woolf Institute
Joumana Medlej's Arabic Kufi calligraphy of the Christian text from 1 Corinthians which begins "Love is patient, love is kind", drawing on a Middle Eastern Christian tradition of Arabic bibles
The Woolf Institute Calligraphy by Joumana MedlejThe Woolf Institute
Here she references the 10th Century Blue Quran with Surat al-Nur 24:35 which begins "God is the light of the heavens and the earth"

The three contemporary artists are inspired by their different backgrounds.

Joumana Medleg is a British-Lebanese artist best known for her expertise in early Arabic calligraphy Kufi scripts, while Maaida Noor is influenced by her British and Pakistani roots and has collaborated with commercial clients including Christian Dior and The Body Shop.

French artist Michel D'Anastasio discovered part of his family was of Jewish origin in 2004 and is now a specialist in modern Hebrew calligraphy.

The Woolf Institute Calligraphy by Michel D'AnastasiThe Woolf Institute
A visit to Israel introduced Michel D'Anastasi to the beauty of Hebrew letters
The Woolf Institute Calligraphy by Michel D'AnastasiThe Woolf Institute
He works with with Hebrew letters, using contemporary techniques including taking photographs of his work in different lights

Dr Esther-Miriam Wagner, executive director of the Woolf Institute, said part of its mission was "to educate national audiences on the interlaced nature of the three Abrahamic traditions".

Christianity, Judaism and Islam are known as the Abrahamic faiths because they all recognise Abraham as their first prophet.

She added: "Although The Written Word focuses on the liturgical languages of Judaism and Islam, it highlights that Arabic was an important mode of communication for Christian Middle Eastern communities too."

The exhibition runs from 12 June until 26 June.

The Woolf Institute Calligraphy by Maaida NoorThe Woolf Institute
Dr Wagner said: "Bringing together Arabic calligraphy of Islamic and Christian texts and Hebrew calligraphy of the Torah, the exhibition illustrates the dynamism that exists in the calligraphic tradition."
presentational grey line

Find BBC News: East of England on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you have a story suggestion email [email protected]