Prince/Princess of Arabic Calligraphy 2017 Winner

The winner of the title 'Prince/Princess of Arabic Calligraphy 2017' was announced by the organising committee as Khadeza Abdul.

Khadeza Abdul, a third year student at the Faculty of Medicine, received her certificate on Wednesday 18th October. The certificate was presented by Professor Reem Bahgat of the Egyptian Bureau for Cultural and Educational Affairs, Egyptian Embassy.

Khadeza completed the Imperial Horizons Arabic 2 in 2016-17, and her work is a calligraphic text on a painting of a lush field of poppies in daylight. The text is a traditional Arabic saying: ‘After patience, beautiful things await’.

In presenting her work, Khadeza said: ‘this statement holds value in a world full of discrepancies in wealth, health and power. No matter how unfair or ugly a situation might get, beauty can still emerge with some patience. In times of famine, one can see how countries come together in charity and provide aid for those in need. Of course this is not an ideal solution. I am saying that no matter how hard life can get, with a little bit of patience, goodness will emerge. Poppies are a symbol of remembrance of fallen soldiers during World War One. My aim was to convey the idea that we must remember the difficult past in order to prevent it re-lapsing and to allow us to appreciate new found joy’.  On behalf of the organising committee, Dr Mashail Ali said: ‘Khadeza’s work was outstanding in placing a simple and traditional Arabic saying in a globalised context. The aesthetic aspect speaks for itself, but the use of lines and shapes of letters to express a climate of uncertainty and expectation demonstrates both artistic skill and attention to detail. Khadeza’s calligraphic style is consistent with the theme’.