SHERMAN—The Sherman Library will open an exhibit, “Loyalty,” featuring contemporary calligraphy works by master calligraphers Alibaba Awrang and Salman Ali Uruzgani, Friday, Oct. 11.
A reception with the artists is set for Oct. 18, from 6 to 8 p.m. at the 1 Sherman Center library.
The show will be on display at both the Sherman Library and on its website, www.ShermanLibrary.org, through Nov. 16.
The exhibit features paintings that present a contemporary realization of a traditional art form by marrying text (intertwined letters and words) with images.
Traditional Persian calligraphy focuses on elegance and historical style. For centuries, Persian calligraphy served as a mirror for mystical and literary teachings.
Awrang’s contemporary calligraphy reflects this tradition but is abstract in nature and meant to be expressive in its effect.
He is inspired by his experience, as well as the ancient Sufi poets, who write of basic human emotions, from love and joy to pain and sadness. His work is intended to invite meditation and reflection.
His process is like collage, ranging from four to eight layers in which the script and images are intertwined gracefully. He starts with a letter or a word without knowing where it will take him, often getting lost in the layers and surprised by the final work.
His materials include Japanese ink, watercolors, acrylic paint, gold and silver leaf applied with bamboo pens and brushes to paper, canvas or wood. He has also included some needlework by his wife, Gulziwar Awrang.
Born in Ghazni Province, Afghanistan in 1972, Alibaba Awrang was educated by the Iranian Calligraphy Association and received a Bachelor of Calligraphy in Shiraz, Iran, and a Master of Calligraphy in Tehran, Iran.
In 2021, Awrang was evacuated by the U.S. Department of State and resettled in Litchfield in 2022. His artwork has been displayed in galleries worldwide.
The second featured master calligraphy artist is Salman Ali Uruzgani.
He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Fine Arts and Graphic Arts from Islamic Azad University of Iran, and a Bachelor of Calligraphy in Tehran.
Recognized by the President of Afghanistan as a leading Afghan calligrapher in 2017, he has created hundreds of works in the fields of calligraphy, painting, caricature and graphic design, designing logos, posters, book covers, and more.
He continues to reside in Afghanistan. Due to health issues, he is represented in the United States by his friend, Alibaba Awang.
For more information, visit www.shermanlibrary.org.
The library is open Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
