In this episode of The Misk Art Library Podcast Series, we sit down with two experts on art in the Arab world: Lulwah Al Homoud, an artist featured in the Misk Art Library series, and Dr. Nada Shabout, who speaks about the work of Iraqi artist Rafa Nasiri. We discuss Nasiri's legacy as a pioneer of Iraqi art ( delving into printmaking), the evolution of contemporary Arab art, and the role of spirituality and identity in the artists’ work. Lulwah Al Homoud shares her personal journey as an artist and her admiration for Nasiri's generous spirit. Dr. Shabout provides insight into the "New Vision" collective and the historical context of terms like "hurufiyya" ( حروفية ) and "textual abstraction."
00:00 Introduction
03:44 Discovering Rafa Nasiri's Work
05:12 How Lulwah Al Homoud's Career Path Began 07:31 Finding Common Paths in Art
09:00 The Spirituality of Art
11:05 Humility and Generosity in Art
11:43 The Evolution of Lulwah's Work
13:18 The Universal Language of Geometry
14:16 Art as a Tool for Growth
15:10 Contesting the Term "Hurufiyya"
19:08 The New Vision Collective Manifesto
21:18 A Dotted Line Between Generations of Artists
22:18 Core Experiments in Art
24:31 A Look Through the Book
27:19 A Complicated Process
28:58 Looking at Rafa Nasiri's Work
34:39 The Importance of Printmaking
38:09 Biography and Early Photos
40:12 Art Reflecting Spirituality
41:26 The Legacy of the New Vision Collective
44:19 Cities That Inspire
47:07 Book Recommendations
49:43 Artist Recommendations
51:27 Upcoming Projects
Iraqi artist Rafa Nasiri (1940–2013) is considered one of the most influential artists within the sphere of fine arts in the Arab world, largely due to his artistry and his role in establishing some of the most notable art groups. A painter, printmaker, graphic designer, and art teacher, Nasiri also authored several art books, including one on his early experience in China. He is known for his unique abstract works inspired by nature, open spaces, and cosmic scenes in which he incorporated Arabic letters, poetry, and calligraphy. This book documents Nasiri’s career, focusing on the distinction of his experience and artistic visions that reflect the diversity of his creativity and the depth of his awareness, as well as his legacy within the canon of modern art.
Lulwah Al Homoud (born in 1967) is a pioneer of the Saudi contemporary art movement, whose works fuse spirituality, the written word and mathematical calculations in a novel artistic vocabulary, or what she describes as “spiritual art.” Drawing inspiration from the spirit of Islamic art, as well as the oeuvres of poets and philosophers such as Abu al-Atahiya and Jalal al-Din Rumi, Al Homoud constructs dialogues between language and letters, developing a relationship between form, concept, dimension and spirituality. This book is an anthology of her works, and explores the intersections between spirituality and calligraphy.
Connect with Lulwah Al Homoud 👉 https://instagram.com/lulwah_al_homoud
Dr. Nada Shabout's research and teaching address modern and contemporary visual practices and problems of representation from a global perspective, with emphasis on questions of methodology and in relation to the cultural politics of the Middle East. She teaches courses on Modern Arab art, global modern art, contemporary Middle Eastern art and Islamic art.
Connect with Nada Shabout 👉 https://instagram.com/shabout_nada
Hosted by Mikey Muhanna 👉
https://instagram.com/mikey_mu
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THIS SERIES IS PART OF THE AFIKRA PODCAST NETWORK Explore all episodes in this series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfYG40bwRKl4rdCQr8BWgdjEj6wTFZ3ZW
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