Geometric design with Urdu alphabets and rhombic dots

Abstract composition with Arabic alphabets and diacritical marks in circular pattern

Geometric design with Urdu alphabets

An imaginary space where one is free from distraction caused by thoughts and emotions that haunts the being. The ring around the image and the surrounding alphabets represents the voices which are excluded from this imaginary space.

Arabic letters set with rocks and pebbles with bottom band design using Arabic Braille comprising of paper tacks.

Arabic letter 'Hu' repeated multiple times in a circular pattern.

Arabic letters inside a window frame depicting the life stories that never get told

Events whether natural or man-made impact life. This work represents the aftermath of these events and the distorted letters represents changed life stories

This piece represents the good memories in one’s life journey. Though few, these bright spots make the journey worthwhile

Arabic letter ‘Ba’ (ﺏ) with its variation in other derived scripts. This artwork depicts how small changes, such as the location of diacritical marks (rhombic dots), change the context of the letter- a theme that has its parallels in life where small changes can also impact the entire outcome of one's life

Arabic letter ‘Jim’ (ﺝ) with it's variation in other derived scripts. This artwork depicts how small changes, such as the location of diacritical marks (rhombic dots), change the context of the letter- a theme that has its parallels in life where small changes can also impact the entire outcome of one's life.

Acrylic and ink on 300gm paper, 50cm x70 cm

This abstract composition represents the traditional Punjabi folk dance Bhangra that is associated with the festival of Vaisakhi in which the people celebrate the harvest and ripening of wheat crop.

Acrylic on paper

42cm x 52 cm

This painting is inspired by Mawlana Rumi quotes "I looked in temples churches and mosques But I found the divine within my heart." The word are the Sufi chant and read “Allah Hoo” which means God Is

Life stories are like sand dunes in the dessert. So many stories; some told while others vanish in the sands of time.

While the manifestations may differ, spirituality lies within oneself and is common to all religion.

This art work is inspired by the aboriginal dot paintings. The aboriginal symbol for meeting place and Arabic letters has been used to symbolize the Aboriginal-Makassan Muslims interactions in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries.

Truck motif with an Urdu verse meaning ‘Go, unfaithful one! I’ll wipe you from my heart, and I’ll live out my life with nothing but memories of you’

Inspired by colourful crown over the truck windshield and the chains with heart ornaments that hang from the Pakistani truck bumpers

Truck motif with an Urdu verse meaning 'One heart met another and my whole being smiled; someone burned up in envy, others give the blessing'

Composition inspired by the varied geometric patterns painted on a typical Pakistani truck’s side view mirrors.

Composition is based on a popular rickshaw slogan “Dekh Magar Pyar Se” (Look but with affection). 

Pakistani truck art with the caption ‘Allah Nigehbaan’ which means God will watch over

Rickshaw motif with the words "Iqra Motors" and “Peace” written in Urdu.

Truck motifs with the caption “Dekh Magar Pyar Se” (Look but with Love) written across the top. The feminine eyes on trucks gives them a female gender and romanticises the relationship between the vehicle and the driver.

Chukor partridge is considered to provide good luck, the bird is thought to have supernatural powers which prevent owners and drivers from evil spells and misfortunes.

Pakistani rickshaws, with Urdu alphabets in the background. The vague representation of the alphabets represents the many incomplete passenger conversations that the driver overhears whilst he takes his passengers to their destinations

Bird of paradise is an important component of truck art design. The lower panel contains Urdu slogans which read “Maa ki Dua, janaat ki hava” (A mother’s prayers are a heavenly breeze), and “Pappu yaar tang na kar” (Pappu mate don’t irritate me).

For many poor hardworking rickshaw drivers, owning a Toyota Corolla symbolizes wealth and prosperity; yet remains an unattainable dream. The pixelated image of the rickshaw, dripping paint and the Urdu inscription, “Mai barra ho kar Corolla bunoo ga” (I will grow up to be a Corolla) signifies this dream.

This painting celebrates the efforts of a group of enterprising young men in Karachi, who decided to counter the messages of hate often found inscribed on rickshaws by instead designing one with messages of peace. 

Typical Pakistani truck motif that reads “Allah Hoo” (God Is). This is a typical Sufi chant, that is traditionally repeated 3 times and ends with the word “Haqq” (Truth) - “God is. God is. God is Truth”.

Typical Truck motif with words "Puppu Yar Jang Na Kar" (Mate don’t make war), in Urdu alphabets.

Truck drivers decorate their truck with images of things that are important in their life. Whether it’s a picture of their village, lover, God’s blessing or a prayer to ward off evil spells, all are important and have personal relevance

Morocco’s mosque, palaces and tombs are ultimate showcase of zellige work comprising of colourful geometric tile shapes individually chiselled and set into a plaster base.

This composition is inspired by the patterns in Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca and emulates the stucco work and tile patterns by folding paper and suspending the layered pattern in space within the picture frame.

Zellige tile work is characteristic of Moroccan architecture. The process involves glazing the tiles in different colours, then drawing basic geometric shapes on the tiles, manually cutting the form with a sharp hammer and then setting the pieces of tiles into a plaster base.

This work is intended to provide an appreciation of the various steps involved in the process as well as the finished design. The composition evolves from simple lines drawn in the background and gradually evolves into a complex pattern as each individually suspended layer of simple geometric shapes is added to the mix to create a complex geometric composition

Media: Acrylics on paper with paper mâché Moroccan caps (sheshia), tassels, cotton thread and fish string.

Dimensions: 500mm x 500mm x 30mm

Gnawa musicians sing primarily in Arabic and their music is traditionally performed in a trance ceremony, called a lila (night) which begins after sunset and consist of repetitive, rhythmic trance music made with a three-stringed lute, skin covered drums and the click clack of steel castanets. The Gnawa dancers wear long satin robes and knitted caps with hand-sewn beads and cowry shells and tassels.

In this piece the historic connection of the Gnawa people is represented by a collage of Amazigh and Arabic alphabets and words; and random pieces of stray threads sewn into the work. The suspended paper mâché caps with tassels on a typical triangular African motif represents the historical perspective and ambience of the Gnawa music.

The Medina of Fez in Morocco is one of the best conserved historic towns of the Arab-Muslim world. The city came into being in early ninth century and soon evolved into an imperial capital which became the seat of learning, power and influence. The city’s labyrinth of narrow streets, lanes and alleys with dead-end squares and homes with shared roofs and walls provide a unique insight to classic Arab architecture.

This piece is inspired by the google earth image of Fez el Bali. In this composition the dense web of the Arabic alphabets with unfolding dots, illuminated court yards and bridges has been used to represent the city’s historic past and its influences

Gnawa has a rich repertoire of African Islamic religious songs and rhythms which are typically performed during communal nights of celebrations.

The music ensemble comprises of instruments such as the metallic castanets (qraqeb), three strings lute (Sintir) and the drums (Jembe) made from local wood and stretched camel skins decorated with traditional African motifs.

This abstract artwork explores the mystic element of the music and the design features of the instruments. The netted ring with embossed design symbolises the drum and is intentionally suspended to allow the shadow of the pattern to fall on the image below. The backdrop ties the various components of the composition together and consist of the Arabic lyrics of the song “O’ night, and night, we will let you know”

The Berbers occupied the regions of North Africa, since the beginning of recorded history. Although the Berber languages and dialects have had a written tradition of about 3000 years, this tradition has been frequently disrupted by cultural shifts and invasions.

The present-day Berber people are identified as ‘The Amazighs’ which means “free men” and their language “Tamazight” is spoken by more than 14 million people living in Northern Africa.

This artwork explores Neo-Tifinagh script of Morocco. In this typographic abstract, the letter ‘yaz’ (z) is used to showcase the struggle of the Amazigh people towards cultural autonomy. The curled paper cut-outs of the letter are designed to ‘reach out’ and ‘rise’ from the paper space to symbolize the struggle and rebirth of the language

The City of Chefchaouen offer a rare example of harmonious coexistence of people of Berber, Muslim and Jew backgrounds. The city’s unique feature are its labyrinths of narrow alleys, cobblestone streets, winding steps, and arches which are painted in endless shades of blue that symbolise peace, safety and the power of heaven.

Inspired by geometric abstraction, this piece captures the ‘blue’ spirit of the city in a two-dimensional picture plane. The paper cut sculpture in the corner is based on a web created by Arabic, Hebrew and Amazigh alphabets forms and intended to convey the historical links and cultural traditions of the city

An essential part of Moroccan home décor, the palm shaped ‘Hamsa’ symbol is traditionally recognised as a sign of protection, blessing and peace. The use of this symbol can be traced back to ancient Mesopotamia and has reverence to many faiths & people including Berber, Buddhist, Hindus, Jews, Muslims, and Christians. Hamsa symbol often contains an eye emblem in the middle to symbolise protection against evil eyes- a malicious stare believed to be able to cause illness, death or bad luck.

In this piece the undulating background represents the ebb and flow of history and the suspended ‘hamsa’ paper cuts highlights the importance of the symbol amongst the people of different faiths and backgrounds

The Urdu alphabets in this paper cut are designed to give a three dimensional effect similar to a blossoming flower and the arabesque pattern around the edges and the center portrays the relationship of Urdu script with its Arabic origins.

The Amazigh languages (Tamazight) has a written tradition, that goes back thousands of years, however with the adoption of Arabic in the region, little if anything was done to safeguard the language as it was then considered inferior, backward and uncivilised. As a response to the efforts of the Amazigh people, in 2011 the Moroccan government gave Tamazight official language status.

In this typographic abstract, the letter ‘yaz’ (z) which represent ‘free-men’ has been used to showcase the struggle of the Amazigh people towards cultural autonomy. The red papercut of the letter yaz rises from the paper space to represent the struggle against the status quo and the tri-colour group of the letters representing the Amazigh flag showcase the conclusion of the struggle

This art work can be hanged in two directions. If the artwork is hanged in its ‘Light’ format the rhombic dots in the artwork will brightened up and turn yellow. If the light work is rotated 180 degree in its ‘Shadow’ format the rhombic dots will turn into dark shadows and disappear.

This piece depicts renaissance of Urdu language. The paper cut is designed to give a 3D effect similar to a blossoming flower.

This artwork represents fading memories. Theblank windows represents the memories that have faded away while the coloured collage pieces from an Urdu magazine represents the memories connected with life emotions that are alive and rekindled

The art work can be hanged in two directions. If the artwork is hanged in its ‘Light’ format the rhombic dots in the artwork will brightened up and turn yellow. If the light work is rotated 180 degree in its ‘Shadow’ format, the rhombic dots will turn into shadows and become less obvious. The scratches are visible in both directions and forms a bridge between light and shadow.

This is an experiment with floating letters, the composition is design and painted in such a way that they reflect a red glow on the white paper background.

Religion connects people together and although our interpretation of meaning and truth about the nature of Universe may vary, all religions lead towards the same ocean of Truth and cultivate a message of peace and tolerance.

This piece embodies these thoughts; the bright colours in the background signify the Truth. The floating uncoloured upturned palms; bonded with strings suggest diversity of mankind in supplication to the divine.

While the basic Arabic alphabet has 28 letters, other writing systems that have adapted the script have added and or subtracted the letters to suit their languages. Most of the additional alphabets have been created by adding or modifying the number of dots above or below the central ‘rasm’ (pattern). These dots form an integral part of a letter and distinguish between letters that represent different sounds.

This abstract composition takes a minimalist approach to this setting. The letters are suspended in space with clear string woven into the frame; where as the coloured dots made from balsa wood are attached to the backing board signifying the connection with Arabic script.