Arabic art on show

The Mathaf Gallery has a new exhibition of works by Egyptian artist Ahmed Moustafa, called “Seeking an Immutable Essence.” Moustafa is an authority on the art and design of the Arabic world. He first showed at the Mathaf Gallery 30 years ago and the current exhibition celebrates this anniversary, with a collection of work that spans the last 30 years.

Jeremy Theophilus, Moustafa’s biographer, writes: “Ahmed Moustafa is an exemplary and much needed link between Islamic and European cultures. A conversation with him soon reveals the ways in which his practical training and experience as an artist and masterscribe, starting in Egypt and continuing to the present day in England, have been of crucial importance in informing his academic research into the scientific foundation of Arabic lettershapes.

Underlying these activities is his strong Islamic belief that enables him to create images of the most intense complexity yet which can have an aesthetic and spiritual appeal to those with little understanding of their linguistic meaning.”

(Extract from the exhibition catalogue)
The exhibition runs until October 17 2008. For more information, call 020 7235 0010 or visit www.mathafgallery.com