المعرض الفني - School of Calligraphy and Ornamentation

Exhibition 2025 | “Continuum: From Past Manuscripts to the Present”

The «Continuum» exhibition was an international art showcase that celebrated the creative journey from the aesthetics of historical manuscripts to contemporary art expressions. Including over a hundred diverse artworks, the exhibition brought together an elite group of participants from around the world, embodying a vibrant dialogue between past and present through the arts of calligraphy, ornamentation, and manuscript-related visual arts.

The exhibition was divided into two main sections:

The first section reviewed the history of manuscripts and book-making, from paper and calligraphy to gilding and decoration. It included three rare original Qur'anic manuscripts: an Abbasid leaf in Kufic script dating back to the 10th century AD, an exquisite 19th-century Kashmiri Mushaf, and a Qajar Mushaf with astonishing ornamentation from the same century.

Section Two: Opening a Space for Contemporary Art through more than one hundred works by artists and calligraphers from the UAE and the world, which reflected how the present has drawn inspiration from the spirit of historical manuscripts to create vibrant new works.

A number of prestigious academic and cultural institutions participated in the exhibition, including Fatih Sultan Mehmet Waqf University, 9 Eylül University, the Lebanese American University, and the Japan Calligraphy Association, adding an academic and research dimension alongside the artistic aspect.

The exhibition featured multiple countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Kingdom, Iraq, Turkey, Japan, Lebanon, Iran, Egypt, Tunisia, Syria, and Jordan, thus forming a cross-border space that highlighted cultural and artistic diversity. A dedicated space was also allocated to Emirati artists and local calligraphers, to enhance national presence within the global context.

«Extension» was not merely an exhibition of artworks, but rather a visual and discursive space that connected history with innovation, reflecting continuity between generations and cultures, and highlighting how historical manuscript arts can inspire the present and be reinterpreted in contemporary contexts.

The exhibition was held from 17 October to 30 November 2025, and was open and welcoming to all members of the community.

2024 Exhibition “Inspired by Manuscripts”

The exhibition explored the timeless beauty of historical Islamic and Arabic manuscripts, where each work drew inspiration from the exquisite craftsmanship that adorned ancient texts across the centuries. It revived traditional arts such as Arabic calligraphy, geometric and vegetal ornamentation, gilding, miniature painting, and book-making.

The exhibition aimed to honour the mastery of the early scribes and artists, who not only preserved knowledge but also transformed it into an art form of supreme beauty. By presenting contemporary visions inspired by these noble traditions, the exhibition bridged past and present, bringing the audience of 2024 closer to the rich cultural and artistic heritage of manuscript art.

Within this collection, the artists celebrated technical precision, vivid colours, and the visual symbols that characterised this art, while also presenting their contemporary reflections within the same aesthetic spirit. The exhibition served as a vivid reminder of the ongoing impact of manuscript arts and their lasting influence on modern artistic practices.

Art Exhibition