The Opening Ceremony of the 6th Edition of Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial

His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the U.A.E. and Ruler of Sharjah inaugurated the opening of 'Get Acquainted,' the major exhibition of Arabic calligraphy. The gala reception took place at the Heart of Sharjah - Calligraphy Area on April 2, 2014.

HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi toured the exhibited calligraphic artworks, with HE Abdullah bin Mohammed Al Owais, Head of the Lead Committee, Chairman of the Sharjah Department of Culture and Information and Hisham Al Madhloum, General Coordinator of Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial / Courtesy of Sharjah Arts Directorate at the Department of Culture and Information

HH Sheikh Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi toured the exhibited calligraphic artworks. During his tour, Sheikh Sultan stopped at each work by prominent calligraphers from Iraq, Egypt, Pakistan and China. The tour was followed by the prize awarding ceremony. Since its inception, Sharjah Arabic Calligraphy Biennial has been appreciating efforts, works and contribution to development of Arabic calligraphy through honouring selected artists around the globe. This year, the list of honoured artists include Hassan Massoudy (Iraq), Khudair Al-Borsaidy (Egypt) and Rasheed Butt (Pakistan).

The Grand Award worth US $ 15,000 received Mohamed Farooq Al Hadad from Syria. Three Awards for Classical Calligraphy (each worth US $ 6,000) went to: Hazem Qanam from Iraq, Belal Muqtar from Egypt and Said Ahmed Dabler from Turkey. Additional three Awards for Contemporary Calligraphy (each worth US $ 6,000) were awarded to: Monica Dengo from Germany, Ali Redah Mohebi from Iran and Hans Christian Berg from Finland.

The 6th edition of the Biennial features 56 exhibitions, 1218 artworks by 737 participating artists from 36 countries. The programme includes 43 seminars, talks and lectures, 123 workshops, 36 film screenings, 6 educational courses and 43 field trips. The exhibitions are located in 20 museums and art institutions, reviving the city throughout the Biennial.

At the opening we could see solo exhibitions by award-winning calligraphy artists: Hassan Massoudy, Khudair Al-Borsaidy and Rasheed Butt, and a huge group exhibition presenting top calligraphers from all over the world. An advantage of this Biennial is that apart from showing extraordinary traditional calligraphy we can witness the creativity of contemporary calligraphic art.

The Opening of Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial 2014

From the opening of Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial 2014 / Photo Â© Islamic Arts Magazine

The Biennial emphasises the role of culture as the central cohesion that holds human values. These values bring us all together to shape the future, launch the creative dialogue and admire diversity. Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial is organized by the Directorate of Arts in the Department of Culture and Information, Government of Sharjah, in the Emirate of Sharjah, UAE and this year is held as part of the celebrations of naming Sharjah as the Islamic Capital of Culture for 2014. The Biennial will run until June 2, 2014.

We can conclude that Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial is one of the leading global cultural events, giving a great contribution to preservation and development of Islamic and Arabic calligraphy.