1994 - A Choreographer of Letters

Mahdaouis beautifully stylised curves of Arabic letters on parchment, paper or denim, dominating areas landscaped by row after row of minuscule inscriptions or in patterned masses, rise in bold free-flowing pillars, circular curves, squares or diamonds to act on our senses like visual music emanating from the invisible body of the word.

 

Mahdaoui’s "calligrams" pure forms traced on the page with a masterly hand - stress the visual effect of compositions and evoke infinite pleasure in rhythms, fast or slow, born from the tension of the wrist, somewhat in the manner of a melodic flow, rising and fading away.

 

Known as the "choreographer of letters" Mahdaoui is interested above all in the morphology of the letter - «words restrict the meaning» - and its gestural and phonetic possibilities. His abstract use of Arabic calligraphy has succeeded in opening a new aesthetic world in both East and West, and has consequently inspired many followers. His passionate intellectual curiosity and contagious enthusiasm has led him to instigate many joint projects with poets, dancers, writers, singers and painters from différent horizons.

 

Born in Tunis in 1937, Mahdaoui began exhibiting in 1959. He has since exhibited and travelled extensively in Asia, the Americas, Africa and Europe. In the UK his works can be found in the collections of the British Museum and the National Museums of Scotland.