Calligraphy Workshop & Exhibit at the Unoversity of Toronto

Ziya Art Center in partnership with MSA at University of Toronto, SAMENA CIRCLE, and Persian Arts Revival (PAR) directed a calligraphy workshop and exhibit at the University of Toronto on October 24 from 3 – 6 p.m.

The program was called Timeless Words and was conducted by Arash Shirinbab, a Persian-Arabic calligrapher who has trained with master calligraphers in Iran. About 28 students participated in the workshop with very diverse backgrounds and cultures. The workshop was assisted and photographed by Shaghayegh Shirinbab, an artist and art educator living in Toronto.

The program consisted hands-on introduction workshop to Arabic calligraphy and Thuluth script with traditional bamboo or reed pen and ink, calligraphy exhibition, and film screening on the history of Islamic calligraphy, the art of penmanship in Middle Eastern culture, and the aesthetic values of words in Islamic art.

In the exhibit section, 15 of Shirinbab’s calligraphy artworks were displayed, mainly in Thuluth and Kufic styles. Shirinbab is inspired from his master, S. Vahid M. Jazzayeri in creating his Kufic style artworks that are combination of traditional and modern styles.