Striking
a chord
To enter the Gallery at Fe-Noon is to walk into a living,
breathing studio that is at once breathtaking because of the remarkable
visual impact of the surrounding images - images that strike an
instant chord, infused with rhythm and energy - and also awe-inspiring
because of the timeless serenity and harmony.
The eyes are accosted by a riot of colour and shapes
that are immediately abstract but ultimately uplifting, ecstatic.
Even to the eye unaccustomed to Islamic scriptures or wholly unfamiliar
with Arabic letter shapes, the dynamic, swerving forms bring alive
the canvas, transcending cultures and barriers.
Invitation
to contemplation
Casual observer or trained connoisseur, the themes strike
a chord at one level or another, whether metaphysical or spiritual.
Everywhere there is evidence of painstaking research: in the composition
of the art being exhibited, the fashioned cubes that illustrate
the Attributes of Divine Perfection, the heavy tomes that line the
shelves, and more.
The work in the studio-gallery goes beyond a devoted
Muslim extolling his Creator on canvas. Indeed, on closer inspection,
it becomes immediately apparent that much research has been done
to make obvious, not only the parallels but also the essential link,
between monotheistic religions and to invite and urge greater contemplation
of the Unity of all Creation and the Oneness of Being.
Platform
for enlightenment
Exhibition space and venerable research study, inside The
Gallery the observer is invited to discern the complementarity and
harmony in creation depicted, for example, in Where The Two
Oceans Meet; academic and enthusiast alike are made to understand
Pythagorean mathematics, terminology and correct procedure that
underpin the "proportioned script" which is revered as
the fountainhead of Islamic calligraphy (the culmination of a doctoral
thesis that involved a brilliant tale of sleuthing entitled The
Scientific Foundation of Arabic Lettershapes).
While
there are clearly many layers of knowledge which inform and illuminate
Ahmed Moustafa's art, such knowledge is not the starting point for
an appreciation of its essential impact. Ahmed opens a door into
the inner realities of Islamic revelation and, by extension, the
essential truth hidden in the diversity of all religious experience;
a door through which anyone can enter by the exercise of intuition
alone, for intuition is innate in all human beings.
|
