Arabic Illustrated: Exploring the relationship between language and art

Arabic calligraphy has long been regarded the highest and most fundamental element of art in the Arab world. Once used as a tool for communication, this ornamental Arabic script has been used for centuries in architecture, decoration and coinage as a pictorial and linguistic expression of Islamic beliefs, history and culture in the MENA region.

Drawing inspiration from this centuries-old art form, Californian artist Allayth Ibn Idris aims to combine his love for languages with painting mediums to create a unique relationship between the Arabic words and the shapes they were given.

Born in the U.S. to Nigerian parents, Idris graduated from California State University Channel Islands with a B.A. in Spanish in 2009 before leaving to study Arabic in Damascus, Syria. He now teaches English in Istanbul, Turkey and says he is continuously “captivated by the ways in which we as humans learn a second language.” We had a chance to speak to Idris about his work and the relationship between art and language.

Elan: Tell us a little bit about your background and linguistic studies.

Allayth Ibn Idris: I grew up living all over California. I also spent a few years in Nigeria and Canada after which I returned to California where I completed my BA in Spanish in 2009. Although I have no other degrees, I also studied many other disciplines including art (traditional & graphic) and Italian. After completing my B.A., I left the United States for a year to study Arabic in Syria. After desperately trying to find the funds to stay longer in Syria, I actually ended up leaving three months before the current problems began. I guess it was God saving me without my knowing it.

I returned to California in 2011 where I completed a TEFL diploma, found me a nice job in Istanbul and have been here ever since.

Elan: What sparked your interest in Arabic calligraphy?

AII: Being a Muslim, I have known how to read Arabic since the age of 7 or 8. During my college years, I discovered Arabic calligraphy online and immediately fell in love with it. I would download lots and lots of pieces to add to my collection.

While doing this I noticed that calligraphers would write verses of the Quran in beautiful shapes. However these shapes weren’t necessarily connected to the verses. This was something I just couldn’t feel at ease with, so I started dedicating my time to Arabic art that made this connection between words and shapes.

Elan: Where does your artistic inspiration come from?

AII: I never call my art ‘Arabic calligraphy’ since it is a respected Islamic art form that has been studied over the course of many years and has strict rules. While I don’t follow these rules, I do borrow here and there from different scripts depending on the piece I’m working on.

As for as the actual words I choose to depict, I always focus on words whose corresponding basic physical forms are interesting, unique & easily identified without need for details. A sailboat is a good example of this, but an iPhone is not because it could easily be mistaken for a rectangular cube if details such as buttons, a logo, etc. aren’t present.

Elan: Did your hometown or upbringing influence your work in any way?

AII: I think this is inevitably true for every artist as where we live and what we experience shapes our general world view. I have learned many languages and experienced so many cultures – American, Nigerian, Canadian, Spanish, British, Italian, Syrian and Turkish. For better or for worse, I have learned and adopted certain things and left others.

I also know what it’s like to be a complete stranger in terms of a language as well as a complete ‘insider.’ Maybe that’s why I find it easy to do art that’s like an illustrated dictionary; transcending language barriers so everyone can appreciate it without knowing Arabic.

Elan: How would you describe your personal style?

AII: Arabic illustrated.

Elan: In your opinion, what is the relationship between language and art? How do you try to incorporate that concept into each of your pieces?

AII: Art is a visual language that knows no borders not requires any particular training to understand, so when I draw a sailboat a Chinese man can understand and appreciate it just as much as a Scot or Brazilian.

Elan: What was one of your favorite pieces in your last series?

AII: One of my favorites is Al Khulud which means ‘infinity’ in Arabic. It’s just so beautiful in its simplicity, despite the fact that it took me months to perfect the design.

Elan: What are your plans for the future?

AII: I have a lot of ideas and mediums I want to experiment with but firstly, I want to make the world aware of what I’m doing, engage people and start a discussion, not only about Arabic art, but images as well and how they are perceived.