Wissam Shawkat, who fell under the spell of Arabic letters on a blackboard at the age of a boy and later became an internationally acclaimed calligrapher and artist. This man, famous for his innovative calligraphic style, “Al Wissam,” puts traditional Arabic scripts and modern graphic design together like a puzzle. His work breaks cultural barriers. He tests to the extreme boundaries of what is possible with calligraphy, and that is why he is one of the most sought-after artists of the last decade.

Self-taught from Basra, Iraq, Wissam Shawkat of Dubai is an artist whose mastery over Arabic calligraphy has turned it into an art form that can be quite modern yet eternal. His works for large international companies like Tiffany & Co. and Chopard speak to his designs’ wide appeal, and his style has had him become almost a household name in this art and design world. Shawkat’s journey began in simple ways. During the Iraq-Iran war, he found comfort in writing and perfecting his calligraphy on dusty tiles made up of a makeshift shelter. He realises that his parents saw his talent and encouraged him to hone this skill, and Shawkat then becomes his own best tutor.

Nothing is easy in the journey of making someone a great artist. Shawkat graduated in 1996 from Basra University with his professional certificate in Civil Engineering. A stable career as an engineer waited for him, but Shawkat could not ignore the deep passion he felt for calligraphy that came with him through those hot teenage summer letters under the signboard of a shop where he used to work. He spent his summers designing and perfecting his skills while learning the balance between precision and creativity. It finally dawned upon him that his calling was in art and not in engineering.

He has created a new style of calligraphy, known as Al Wissam in the recent years – a hybridization of traditional Arabic scripts used – be it Sunbuli, Jali Diwani, Eastern Kufic, and Thuluth – and modernist design integration. It results in a style once bold, graphic and yet unmistakably contemporary, still deeply rooted in the rich legacy of Arabic calligraphy. Shawkat’s art surpasses simple tradition in that it represents a coming together of old and new, forcing the conception of calligraphy. His handmade paper with reed pens and traditional inks along with a decidedly modern sensibility provoke the viewer to question what Arabic letterforms need be. Liberation characterizes his work because he finds movement within the letters rather than hem it in to literalism.

Wissam Shawkat has actually coined the term Calligraform for that abstract adaptation of the Arabic calligraphy he uses. It focuses on the form and shape of the lettering, dwelling more on the graphic value than on its linguistic significance. For example, the sharp tail of the Arabic letter “ha” can be isolated and reproduced at various angles, turning it into an eye-catching visual element. Shawkat’s work is inspired by such styles and trends of Turkish calligraphy, Bauhaus, Geometric Abstraction, Futurism, and Cubism. His great ability to interpret these artistic trends in Arabic calligraphy makes it possible for him to create a visual language that is totally free from cultural prejudices. Shawkat does not pretend at all to preserve tradition; he reorders it in modern terms.

In the last ten years, Wissam Shawkat’s works spread globally. Beside high-fashion works, Shawkat prints and original pieces can be bought online for home through his shop so that people could take with them a part of his innovative calligraphic art with them. He takes up corporate as well as personal projects, showing how universal his designs are. Being called a “rule-breaker” for his innovative techniques does not come easily to Shawkat. Shawkat’s art invites us to rethink not only what calligraphy can be but what art can achieve when it defies tradition.

Darah Ghanem is an art phenomenon: her visual, multidisciplinary talents redefine the creative landscape in the Middle East and beyond. A photographer, writer, and founder of digital arts zine “Follow the Halo,” Ghanem brings fresh perspectives to underrepresented visual arts of the MENA and South Asia regions. Her work challenges the dominant narratives concerning the possibilities for a new generation of artists through unique storytelling and cultural exploration.

Darah Ghanem is much more than a writer and photographer; she is a creative force making waves in the art world by giving voice to underrepresented artists in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Through photography, journalism, and digital arts projects, Ghanem is resetting the narrative of what Middle Eastern art looks like locally and on a global scale. Her works range from writing, photography, and digital art. She is no doubt a multidisciplinary artist whose influences are impossible to overlook. Ghanem uses her creative work not only for her own vision but also to bring light and uplift others, besides shedding light on the treasures of the artistic community in this region.

Probably, one of the most important contributions Darah Ghanem made to the world of creativity relates to her digital arts zine, Follow the Halo. She came up with this project based on her intentions of creating a space where under-represented voices from a cross-section of visual artists – especially those from the Middle East and North Africa to South Asia-would have a platform. The Halo features innovative work from emerging and established artists. This becomes the platform whereby these artists can express themselves, breaking away from the stereotypes of creativity encircling art from the MENA region. Ghanem has ushered in a new sense of community, bringing out artists that would otherwise remain ignored. She reached out to bridge the gaps between the old and the new, giving space for voices to be heard and appreciated.

Darah Ghanem also founded the Middle East Archive-an Instagram-based crowdsourcing platform that gathers digital archives of family record heritage from the MENA region-through which she connects personal histories through photos and stories, allowing for a collective cultural memory to be kept, even in the digital age. The Middle East Archive is not a nostalgic undertaking; it’s an innovative way of recording and sharing history. Through her efforts to invite people to share their own family records, Ghanem is further constructing shared identity amongst people in the region while providing a digital repository of invaluable historical insights. The platform and idea will stand as an important way of linking generations and cultures so that the incredible heritage of the region is not forgotten, for instance in the MENA region.

Special attention is brought on by photography. Darah Ghanem draws one’s attention due to the depth and complexity captured in her subjects. Most of her personal projects revolve around themes of identity, culture, and representation. While Ghanem’s photographs are more than stunningly beautiful, what really makes her work stand out is the story behind every picture. Her photography is not just some intimate look at the lives of her subjects but also the whole narrative tool that breaks the mainstream perception about Middle Eastern and South Asian people. What makes Ghanem’s pictures so beautiful is the way she combines artistic sensibility with cultural critique, making it a highly meaningful piece of work as well.

Darah Ghanem’s work is at the heart of promoting the next generation of artists. She is working on this with her zine, various social media projects and through mentoring. This recognition comes because she perceives that the future of art in the MENA region is in the hands of young creative who are breaking free from traditional moulds and experimenting with new forms of expression.

She gives these artists a platform to be heard, and their voices get recognition and acknowledgement all over the world. She is a true asset to the cultural and artistic diversity of the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia.

A multidisciplinary artist whose works adorn everything from magazine covers to the walls of cities, Dina’s illustrations and designs demand attention through bold, punchy sketches and nostalgic flair. This makes her one of the most exciting creative minds to watch in the UAE, as she harmoniously represents cultural elements to combine with contemporary artistry.

Dina began her journey as an artist in the UAE but gained international acceptance by pursuing her studies at the world-famous School of Visual Arts in New York. Global exposure broadened her perspective and armed her with the ability to break boundaries in many traditional arts. Today, she is a Creative Director, Illustrator, Animator, and Storyteller who expresses herself across multiple mediums-from packaging and apparel to digital spaces; work through which she pushes past genres. Dina uses multiple art forms: from graphic illustrations, intricate animations, to mixed media projects. Her style is bold, playful, and thought-provoking-and with a story that urges a viewer to dig deeper into the layers of meaning behind a piece. “I love experimenting with mediums to tell a story within a story that evokes an emotion,” she says, reflecting her constant drive for innovation and creativity.

Culturally, the city was the first inspiration of Dina’s work. As the city she spent her childhood in was ever-changing, so is the body of work that captures all facades of life in the city and all those connotations which it brings along. Much seen upon the walls of Dubai or read in print and digital media, much of Dina’s art appears to carry a nostalgia that sends one back to a simpler time. One of the most striking aspects of Dina’s work is the use of monochrome illustrations-the signature component of her style. This simplest of black and white works to help the message succeed through effective communication of deep emotion, without colour distraction. At other times, she does not pull back from color either, applying it only with purpose and with finesse in order to allow pieces to stand out for vibrancy and depth.

One who could fuse old culture nostalgia into modern art forms, and nowadays she is the hub of Dubai’s artistic life-from walls to digital fronts, her art is nowhere, catching the eye of an art enthusiast as well as a layman. She believes it is very essential that one creates such art which is accessible to one and all, so that each can find a piece of themselves in her art.

Today, Dina’s work adorns Dubai’s various ever-lively art scenes, from collaboration with brands to marketing agencies that try to exploit her unique style of storytelling about itself. Her work has been commissioned for magazine covers and branded campaigns and even public spaces to further validate her status as a key player in the local art world. One of the most significant contributions of hers to the Dubai art scene is being the Creative Director of her projects, imbuing a mix of her artistic vision with the needs of numerous clients. Whether it was working with corporate brands or non-profits, she applied the same passion and storytelling to the project, ensuring that her art always spoke to the viewer on a deeper level.

Dina Sami was unyielding creativity, also into endless exploration. Her work bridges time, as it connects the past and the future, the personal, and the universal-this is a gaping bridge indeed, which Dina bridges with her stories. Through her art, Dina continues telling stories which run perfectly in tandem with people’s lives, thus marking an influence on the shape of Dubai’s art scene to come.