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This line belongs

Abdallah Akar interviewed by Genevièvè Bénamou. March 1994.

-A.A.: Arabian calligraphy is based on the beauty of the line. The transmission of this art is done solely from Master to pupil. He gives his licence to only one pupil. It's not just craftsmanship that is transmitted. Classical calligraphy stays locked up in some rigid rules. There are several styles: Persian, Turkish, North African which took a lot of liberties with tradition, and the Koufic style that can be found in North Africa. There are several groups of calligraphers: Some remained faithful to the letter and some more or less distorted it.

Arabian calligraphy is presently in crisis for lack of new developments. This situation has lasted for two centuries. In the same time, lack of invention has allowed calligraphers to considerably improve the heritage of history. For example, the "Thoulth" style which has known its main growth through the last two centuries, emphasizes on the precision of the line, the research in composition, new media. The frequenting of the Beaux-Arts school by calligraphers has allowed for the emergence of an abstract expression. Figurative tradition being non-existent in Arabian painting, artists have taken hold of the letter, thus opening fields of research that escape figuration. We are coming to experiments where the letter and the word give up their semantic value to become pure plastic elements. Likewise, in the United States, many calligraphers have gone beyond the calame. The use of other tools enables the renewal of calligraphy.

- G.B.: What about you, do you wish to abandone the calame?

- A.A.: I don't want to change my tool, but I am looking for other possibilities with that instrument. I personally have strong ties to tradition. Besides, modernity is not breaking off with the past! All present researches in Arabian calligraphy generate conflicts between traditional painters and those who search for new ways. My Master, Alani Ghany, thinks that a painter, if he is an arab, should not distort the letter. For me, it's important that the letter should escape the grip of traditional calligraphers. It means great wealth ! It's a good thing that the letter is khatt (line) in the first place. This line belongs to everybody...

I am at the heart of this conflict. I am trying to depart from strict rules, and am looking for another approach towards the plasticity of the letter, the placement of the text, the colour. The signs that I am creating fit into the new tendency of Arabian calligraphy. I incline towards the scattered line, towards that free expression. I feed myself with classical calligraphy but without its being present in my practice. It already gave so many perfect works ! I don't want to reproduce them. I want calligraphy to become means of expression. I practice it through my real-life experience. I live in a society which I was not raised in, I am under all its influences and I hope my work conveys aIl my conflicts!