Interview: Malik Anas al-Rajab

FROM CLASSICAL TO CONTEMPORARY CALLIGRAPHY

"I studied the artworks of many contemporary calligraphers from around the world. I noticed that there is many ways to express calligraphy and you still get the reaction and the reflection of a calligraphic piece. There were lots of sleepless nights and tryouts trying to come up with my own voice." (Malik Anas Al-Rajab)

IAM: Tell us about your artistic path and how did you start making calligraphy. Was it your first choice?

MALIK ANAS AL-RAJAB: I can still remember that day vividly! I was about 15 years old when I saw my elder brother practicing calligraphy, I was amazed instantly and I started paying attention to calligraphic types and styles around me… a few months later I started my first lessons on Thuluth Style. In last 4 years I became more attached to this form of art and made a lot of connections and contacts with most of the famous masters in Baghdad. In 2002 a new passion of graphic design and computer generated images was growing in me so I started to learn the tools of the trade by myself. In 2005 I decided to specialize in contemporary calligraphy using my practice in classical form of Arabic Calligraphy tradition as a background and merge it with Graphic Design, after reaching a certain level I was able to infuse calligraphy with graphic design the way you see it now.

IAM: Your calligraphic expression is a free style. I suppose that, in the very beginning, you had some classical models. How did you come to the style that you work on now?

MALIK ANAS AL-RAJAB: I studied the artworks of many contemporary calligraphers from around the world. I noticed that there is many ways to express calligraphy and you still get the reaction and the reflection of a calligraphic piece. There were lots of sleepless nights and tryouts trying to come up with my own voice.

The rest of the article you can read in the magazine.