Having initially been trained in European art traditions, I became more interested in the study and practice of the traditional arts of the Middle East later on in my life, slowly shifting my views of art from European to Arab-Islamic. I started experiments in using calligraphy as painting and produced abstract watercolors utilizing my personal interpretations of Arabic letter forms. I now also incorporate digital imagery with hand written calligraphy to create limited edition prints of my artwork. My work combines a deep respect and knowledge of traditional calligraphy with the latest in computer technology. Presenting this art to various audiences allows us to break boundaries and stereotypes and provides an opportunity for cross-cultural communication.
Artwork is in the public art collections of the Culture Ministry of Syria, Department of Culture & Information; Museum of Anthropology in Vancouver, BC, Canada; Museum of Islamic Civilization in Sharjah; Tariq Rajab Museum in Kuwait; City of Seattle Public Art Collection; Center for the Arts & Religion (CARe) at the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA, and in numerous private collections.
Dr. Sakkal studied art at the Plastic Arts Center in Aleppo and has degrees from the University of Aleppo and the University of Washington in Seattle, and Ph.D. in Islamic art history from the University of Washington, thesis on Square Kufic calligraphy in modern art and design. He has lectured on Islamic art, Arabic calligraphy and Arabic typography at universities and conferences in the United States, Canada, England, Dubai, Syria, and Uzbekistan.
www.sakkal.com
Mamoun Sakkal joined Fine Art America on September 18th, 2013.
