al khatt, the magic script

Al-khatt, the magical script: An artistic dialogue with the Museum of Isalmic Art exhibits


Through 17 artistic constructs, artist Irene Gonou converses with the space, both physical and cultural, and simultaneously with the very exhibits of the Islamic Museum.

“Al-khatt” is writing as conduit and voyage, which is subsequently transformed into image, symbol and talisman, defining a new reference landscape for her artistic endeavours. Eastern recipes penetrate her ink from the mystical drawers of Arab calligraphers and the marabous of the teacher-healers of Africa, in order to record our desires and exorcise our fears. The artist converses with ethnology, and traces of her cultural wanderings are recognisable in her work.

This dialogue extends further to include the field of music, with Michalis Andronikou improvising in his 12 "handmade" musical compositions, seeking the meaning and mystery of writing through sounds.