Ahmed Moustafa
Reflecting the traditional Islamic belief that God should not be represented through the human form Ahmed Moustafa grounds his work in the Qu’ran, the sacred text of Islam, and the prophetic Hadith(traditions) which he transcribes in his mixed-media works. Building upon a long tradition in Islamic art of curvilinear and geometric calligraphy, the artist creates complex overlays of script based on contemporary techniques of layering different media. Although Moustafa’s works recall those of early Islamic calligraphers of the Qu’ran, his approach is more conceptual. One of the most important concepts interpreted by the artist is multiplicity within the unity of a monotheistic God. Moustafa turns to calligraphy and the cube (ka’ba in Arabic) to express this belief. In the Attributes of Divine Perfection, the artist uses the cube to visualize something vast and immeasurable. According to Moustafa, the cube is a three-dimensional Islamic mandala. The purity of this geometric shape and the possibility of its infinite repetition is testimony to Allah’s creative power as manifested in nature and expressed in the Qu’ran.

Ahmed Moustafa's Website