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← STORIED OBJECTS / Calligraphy Panels
A large horizontal painting with a patterned blue background features a central design of swirling red Arabic lettering. The artist’s signature is below on the left, and a second swirling design fills the lower right corner—both in red with highlights of white.

Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

Image Description A full, horizontal sheet of plywood is covered in a gently stippled aqua blue and white pattern that gives an overall appearance of water or a cloudy sky. An elegant swirl of red Arabic calligraphy fills the center of the composition. The artist’s signature is below on the left side and includes the year “22” underneath the lettering. A tighter swirl of red and white lettering fills the lower right corner of the painting.

Calligraphy Panels

Mohammed Mandi is a calligrapher whose designs permeate Emirati society. His art not only graces all currency in the United Arab Emirates but also appears on the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi. While at the 2022 Folklife Festival, Mandi offered visitors the opportunity to discover the beauty of this rich cultural tradition.

An ancient art form captivates a contemporary audience

Gallery
  • Within the story majlis structure, calligrapher Mohammed Mandi created four anchor calligraphies over the course of the UAE program.
    Photos by Josh Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Erin Younger, Smithsonian

Calligraphy is one of the most important art forms that emerged from the Islamic world. It is an ancient display of the sacred in an artistic form, an adoration of the word of God. It also extends beyond the portrayal of religious content to portray messages from poets or revered leaders. The United Arab Emirates program site was directly across from the Smithsonian Castle on the National Mall and within the Story Majlis, calligrapher Mohammed Mandi created four large calligraphies, each filling a full sheet of plywood with designs containing carefully selected messages.

The proper tools are necessary in order to achieve the best results in calligraphy. Mandi has more than 5,000 colored pencils, paints, and various drawing tools, such as nib pens and brushes that he uses to shape the Arabic letters into long, smooth strokes, producing a graceful, lively visual. Working in a custom-built wooden studio space in the UAE program area, Mandi transformed the script into spirited, multilayered compositions on plywood.

Gallery
  • Photo by Josh Weilepp, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives
  • Photo by Sonya Pencheva, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives

Though the two works highlighted in this entry may appear different at first glance, they complement one another through their content. The top, blue painting contains a quote attributed to George Washington: “My mother was the most beautiful woman I ever saw. All I am, I owe to my mother.” The red and green painting above reads: “We started our 1,000-mile journey with our first steps, and we are on the right path,” a quote from Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the first president and founder of the UAE. With these calligraphic paintings, Mandi has drawn a parallel between the founding fathers of the United States and the Emirates, forging a connection between American history and Islamic art.

While Mandi did not expect Americans to demonstrate such appreciation for Arabic calligraphy, his booth attracted an eager, daily audience throughout Festival. At the end, he said he felt honored to leave his mark on Festival visitors in Washington, D.C.

—Raneem Atiyeh, program intern
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