Nja Mahdaoui

Tunis, Galerie El Marsa, UNTITLED: A Story About Art in Today's World, 2011

Condition: This work is in very good condition. There is minor wear to the bottom two and top right corner tips. There are very light traces of pencil lines on the bottom two corners and top right inherent of the artist's working process. Colour: The colours in the catalogue illustration are very accurate; although, the white is more stark in the original work.
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Nja Mahdaoui is Tunisia’s most renowned contemporary calligrapher, taking inspiration from the ancient angular styles of Kufic script and Arabic letter forms.

Mahdaoui has established himself as an explorer of signs and has been described as a ‘choreographer of letters’. His abstract interpretation of these forms has inspired many of his contemporaries, inciting interest in his work from both the East and the West. Mahdaoui stresses the visual impact of his compositions, which he refers to as calligrams (beautiful writing). His artwork focuses on the curvature and formation of each stroke as opposed to the actual text description, emphasising the organic shapes and contours of every Arabic symbol. This disregard of the literal use of letters enables his works to create a new rhythmic composition, which can be described as a visual melody: various tempos and harmonies are created through the density and colours applied to rows of minute inscriptions.

The present work, titled Sada which translates as Explosion from Arabic, was produced in parallel to the upheavals in Tunisia in December 2010, which was followed by the Arab Spring. Reflectively, Mahdaoui has used darker hues to amass a denser composition when creating this piece, making this artwork a poignant contrast to other pieces from his Graphèmes Series. He effectively channels the intense atmosphere and profound emotional impact of this historical event in an international yet also personal context.

In Sada, the central ring creates a direct focus point, with a complex calligraphic maze spiralling its surroundings, densely filling the entire canvas with juxtaposed Arabic symbols, creating an intricate pattern. Cultural traditions typical to Tunisia, such as religious festivals and ceremonies are typically accompanied with music, which is an evident source of inspiration for Mahdaoui’s compositions. He is an avid fan of contemporary North African music and dance, frequently collaborating with poets, musicians and dancers in performances.

In this enigmatic example, Mahdaoui’s beautifully executed lettering captures a monumental moment in the current history of politics in the Middle East. His meticulous attention to detail produces stunningly ornamental letter landscapes, conveying the emotions of a nation and each individual. Despite being part of a series, this specific work due to its current stimulus and social context has full right to stand alone.