“Dance of Letters 2” by Hassan Massoudy & Iman Mahmud & Kourosh Ghazimorad

On the occasion of Haleh Gallery’s first anniversary, we would like to offer a warm welcome to all our guests and at the same time thank you all for your continued support during the past year.

Since last September, the gallery has staged five successful exhibitions. Its goal is to build a bridge between East and West benefiting from their diversities and similarities.

Today, Haleh Gallery is delighted/pleased to present three highly talented calligraphy artists – Hassan Massoudy, Iman Mahmud and Kourosh Ghazimorad.

Calligraphy is a form of visual art inherent to all cultures. In Eastern and particularly in Iran and Islamic countries, calligraphy is sometimes regarded as the ultimate art form and extraordinarily profound visualization of balance.

Haleh Gallery started its life in September 2010 with calligraphy by: Kourosh Ghazimorad, who currently lives in Tehran. On the occasion of our first anniversary, we are also showcasing two fine examples of Ghazimorad’s highly individual modern calligraphy. Since 1992 he has regularly exhibited in Iran. He has contributed to numerous exhibitions in Europe and the United States since 2003. His modern calligraphy is influenced by the expressive freedom of his thought and his harmonious and masterly style of execution.

Iman Mahmoud was born in Iraq. She has lived in Germany since 1998. She studied Graphic Design and Art at Baghdad Academy of Arts. Since the 1980s she has participated in numerous international exhibitions including shows at British Museum in London.. Her work expresses “light against darkness” and “existence against nothingness”. Her art is influenced by her cultural background and spiritual beliefs. It is deeply rooted in the traditions of Islamic calligraphy while drawing on major developments in Western art like Abstract Expressionism with its gestural spontaneity. In addition to working on canvas or highly absorbent hand-made papers in unusual formats, she uses collage techniques, fabrics and the surfaces of walls. The tactile experience of working on a wall gives her a powerful feeling for historical connections and she believes that each layer on the wall is a document of the past. Her palette is predominantly black and white.

Hassan Massoudi was born in Iraq and has lived in Paris since 1969, completing his studies at the Ecole des Beaux Arts in 1975. He has contributed to numerous exhibitions worldwide and his work has been shown at Biritish museum in London, and museums in Japan, Singapour, France, and Emirates .His breakthrough came in 1972 with a work titled Arabesque, a public performance linking East and West combining music, poetry and the execution of calligraphy simultaneously projected on a large-format screen. Massoudi sees himself as something of a “choreographer of letters”, allowing each letter to flow freely, and uses words and phrases drawn from poetry and philosophy. Following the Eastern tradition, he regards the creative process as a meditative act. His work is highly dynamic and characterised by radical formal and colouristic reduction designed to provoke powerful emotional reactions.

It is a great honour for Haleh Gallery to present the work of these three important artists. We hope that the cultural values they portray in their work will spark an emotional response among our visitors.

On Sunday 9 October from 2 pm Hassan Massoudi will hold a workshop at the gallery. We cordially invite you to join us.

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