Farideh Zariv’s exhibition ‘Word in Art’ at Cure8 Art Gallery showcased the aesthetics of Arabic and Persian letters through verses and poem

Muscat – The shape of letters, of the Arabic and Persian alphabet in particular, has inspired art since time immemorial. Calligraphy is highly regarded and is the most fundamental element of Islamic art, used in astonishingly varied and imaginative ways. The written word appears not just on paper and canvas, but across all art forms and materials resulting in works of great beauty.

An exhibition at Cure8 Art Gallery in Grand Hyatt Muscat showcased the aesthetics of Arabic and Persian letters through Arabic words and Persian poem. Farideh Zariv’s show – titled ‘Word in Art’ – had paintings featuring letters of the two languages on the same canvas. Arabic words, including Alhamdulillah (Thanks be to God), Noon waal qalam (God swears by the pen) and Inallah were the central theme surrounded by Persian letters. Verses from the classic tragic romance of Shirin and Farhad, the word ‘umbr’ (life) and the phrase ‘there is no word better than love’ in Persian appeared as motifs around the Arabic calligraphy with interesting results.

Among the 20 exhibits in ‘Word in Art’ was one in a pastel palette of what Farideh described as trees – a metaphor for life – with the word ‘umbr’ inscribed as a motif. Another had calligraphy of Rumi’s ‘I am drunk and you are insane, who will lead us home’ – a striking composition with bold strokes that could be interpreted by those who can’t read the letters as light cutting down from the sky piercing Earth below.

Explaining the concept behind the exhibition, Farideh noted that the world today needs spirituality. “I see emptiness in people around me. They must look within for fulfillment. Perhaps the task of today’s artist is to recreate spirituality by rediscovering the spirituality in ancient art and reusing it in the modern world.”

She described the Indian yoga guru and proponent of spirituality Jagadish ‘Jaggi’ Vasudev, popularly known as Sadhguru, as being ‘a Rumi of our times’. “He talks about looking within and living in the present. The past is gone and future is yet to come. So focus on the present.”

Farideh chooses not to assign titles to her art; so the exhibition had a name but not the individual exhibits. Names and titles, she believes, limit viewers’ imagination. “They must be free to interpret art how they wish. Putting names sets limitations to viewers’ thoughts,” she explained.

Not all the pieces, however, have letters and words with meanings. These compositions simply showcase the aesthetic power of letters in bright and contrasting colour schemes.

An Australian-Iranian artist, based in Muscat for the last four years, Farideh used acrylic on canvas with gold relief in the artworks in the exhibition. Director of two art galleries in Iran and curator of Cure8 Art Gallery, she also collects iconic cultural items, including Hamsa (Hand of Fatima), Iranian miniature art and wooden printing blocks.

“I am inspired by my culture. Artists can talk about their own culture better than others.” Among her human inspirations is Frida Kahlo; Farideh has made a pilgrimage to the surrealist artist’s Blue House museum in Mexico City.

Farideh held her first solo show in Oman, titled ‘Spirit of Horses’, in 2017 in Bait al Zubair Museum. Earlier in 2005, an exhibition titled ‘Hand of Fatima’, funded by the Australian government, was held at the Canberra Museum & Gallery. A year later, ‘Hand of Fatima’ was invited by the Iziko Bo-Kaap Museum in Cape Town, South Africa.

More recently – in November 2021 – Farideh and her husband Dr Nasser Palangi, associate professor in the Fine Art Department at Scientific College of Design, Muscat, had the privilege of being among 400 artists from 170 countries to show their work in Expo 2020 Dubai representing Australia.

The same month, she was invited to the Tashkent International Art Biennale. She described these events as opportunities of exposure to learn about other artists and styles. “These are great interactions between artists from so many different countries.”

Farideh has exhibited in six of the seven continents and her artworks are held in private and public collections in several countries.

Despite her tenacious creativity, she believes artists must take time to conceive art. “If you are going to display your art, you must have something new to say. You can’t go from one joint show today to another tomorrow and hang the same art. ” She took five years to conceptualise, conceive and create the pieces for ‘Word in Art’.

Commenting on Oman’s art scene, she observed, “Yes, it needs more galleries; but more importantly, more galleries with good direction.”

About ‘Word in Art’, Muna Ritchie, co-founder of Omani Heritage Gallery, said, “Art is all around us – oral, visual and audio. Farideh takes the words of poets and turns them into visual art. Her canvasses marry the two mediums into a harmonious symphony which the audience can both see and hear in their minds.”

In a reflection of the success of the show, 12 of the 20 pieces were sold out before closing on Saturday.

‘Word in Art’ was opened by H H Afra Talal al Said on December 26, 2021. Cure8 Art Gallery was founded and is directed by artist, art curator and photographer Sarah al Aulaqi.