From Beirut to Berlin
From Beirut to Berlin is a tribute in Arabic typography to the Bauhaus on the occasion of its centennial...
Paul Dash Comments on Kameelhawa’s art Exhibition Paper 2018
I am thrilled and humbled at being asked to contribute to this exhibition, a few observations on Kamalhawa’s art. Hopefully the words I share will do justice to what is certain to be a thought-provoking, skilfully executed and wide-ranging show. Kameelhawa’s art is multi-dimensional and multi layered. It is multi-dimensional in the wide range of media engaged, the ease with which he progresses from religious or secular themes to figuration, abstraction, design, fine art, etc. His practice is multi-layered in the depth and range of enquiry attendant on each theme and the manifold ideas and concepts engaged. If we take drawing as an area of enquiry he makes imagery with the precision of a designer steeped in the designer’s art, which sit alongside free-flowing sketches that encapsulate the emotional response to a pot of flowers or likeness of a sitter. His drawn images inspired by Arabic calligraphy, however, are located firmly within...
MOMENTS by Kameel Hawa @ Galerie Cheriff Tabet
Artist Biography Kameel Hawa draws, paints, sculpts and designs. He projects words into art pieces, shaping typographic sculptures out of Arabic and Phoenician alphabets. He dabbles with photography, creates books and magazines and experiments with screen prints and other art forms. An autodidactic artist, he is today best known for his sculptures: the typographic monument of Beirut, the tribute to his alma mater AUB, and the eight interpretations of the word Fann (Arabic for Art) which have drawn both popular and particular acclaim. An accomplished designer, Kameel founded AlMohtaraf some three decades ago, a regional graphic design house which he still inspires and drives to date. AlMohtaraf is famous for combining refined aesthetics with modern design solutions, unfailingly maintaining a profound continuity with indigenous needs and values. Kameel has had several solo exhibits in Beirut, Cairo and Kuwait. He has participated for years in the Beirut Art Fair and the Beirut Art Week. His...
ABJADIYAH a kameel hawa/ scuptural interpretation
Those are sculptural interpretations of the Phoenician alphabet letters. Each miniature, retaining a primitive feel as initially conceived by the artist, represents one letter in a form inspired by its known symbol. The drawing of the ancient letter itself appears distinctly on the sculpture apart....
كميل حوّا يحاضر في نيويورك عن المنحوتات الحروفية في الساحات العامة
حاضر الفنان التشكيلي والمصمم الغرافيكي كميل حوّا في نادي كبار مصمّمي الحروف (Type Directors Club (TDC في نيويورك مساء الخميس الماضي، حول المنحوتات الحروفية في الساحات العامة. استعرض حوّا في محاضرته تجربة «المحترف»، دار التصميم التي أسسها ويقودها منذ ثلاثة عقود بين جدة وبيروت، ومسيرة الانتقال بين مختلف التّجارب الخطّية مروراً بفن الكلمة. وبيّن في محاضرته كيف أنّ الانتقال من التشكيل الخطي إلى المنحوتة ثلاثية الأبعاد ليست مجرد زيادة في الكتلة أو الحجم، بل هو تحوّل كامل ينشأ عبر عملية فنية تحدّت إعادة تشكيل في بنية الكلمة. ويصبح البعد الثالث للكلمة بما يعطيه من معنى ودلالة بعداً رابعاً. كما أوضح من خلال تجربته خاصية الكتابة العربية في التكيّف الشكلي بلا حدود ممّا يميّزها عن كثير من اللغات. وطرح حوا تعريفاً لتصميم الحروف بأنّه تخصّص معاصر ينقل الحرف العربي من مرحلة فن تشكيل الخطوط إلى مرحلة فن تصميم الحروف، من «الكوليغرافي» calligraphy إلى «التيابوغرافي» typography، أي من عصر الفنون الحرفية إلى عصر الصّناعة...
AUB by Kameel Hawwa
This monument designed for the American University of Beirut by Kameel Hawwa reads "ai,yu,be" the University acronym, which the designer intended to keep in its intimate popular pronunciation in Arabic and turn it into a modern typographic sculpture. By this he wished to proclaim - at the occasion of the 150th anniversary of AUB- that this much revered institute of education has become with the passage of years a full native of the land. Carved from cedar wood (the cedar tree being the Lebanese flag symbol), the sculpture accentuates this sense belonging. Press here to see the Movie It was unveiled during an event held on November 14, 2016 on location in front of the Alumni Club building. Donated to AUB Alumni Association by the brothers Loutf, Samir, Mounir, and Kameel Hawwa, in memory of their deceased brother Gynecologist and alumni Dr. Zahi Hawwa (1963). A word about the AUB that I love. It is often said institutions are not buildings but the...
ALEPH
This sculpture is for Aleph, the first letter of the Phoenician alphabet, actually of all alphabets. It was my participation in Beirut Art Week (September 13-20 2016), and the post was perfectly located in the midst of Solidaire Souks area, facing Librarie Antoine in downtown Beirut. It is the first in the set of 22 such interpretations, that i have been developing for more than a year for a sculptural typographic park, dedicated to the Phoenician Alphabet, considered by most scholars as the mother modern alphabets, both Latin on the one hand. Arabic, Hebrew and Aramaic on the other. ...
Burning tune ( a tribute to Mohammad bu azizi)
This work was especially done for the “save our souls” art exhibit. The idea of a tribute to AlBuazizi, however, was with me since many years. The story of his terrible death stands out as a great human cry, so unlike the many self annihilations that are occurring every day. Making the neck the fire exhaust, was inspired by a Phoenician relief sculpture of the Eritrean and the lion. As if his great cry and soul were bursting out directly from the neck, that was turned into a great torch of the wave of popular uprisings. The blazing flames, thick smoke and lighter fumes, all move upward and across, turning about themselves in a chaotic infinite circularity. Something spiritual is building up.The metal mask as if holds the head in place, and hides the painful expression. Yet the four black screws are reminiscent of Christ’s nails on the cross. The written...
Beirut Troika
I had this piece of ‘3XBeirut’ for a while now. I saw its aesthetics, like many other people.. but never got the feeling from those photos for it exhibited temporarily in our National Museum.! It looks like a classic.. like a part of a Roman charriot! … ...
Beirut’s name stands high
Beirut, the typographic design of the name of the Lebanese capital, that was within the Mohtaraf Word Art portfolio by Kameel Hawa for many years, is now a majestic typographic sculpture standing high in a beautiful location facing the marina of the attractive restaurant hub of Zaitounah Bey. At the early evening of this Wednesday June 24, the sculpture of Beirut, was unveiled in a resounding event organized by the CCC, the well known contractors, that acquired the art piece and donated it to the city of Beirut. The event was sponsored by the Lebanese minister of interior Nuhad Almashnouq, and attended by around three hundred guests including country dignitaries, opinion leaders and senior members of the business sector. During the unveiling of the monument, a swarm of balloons went flying into the spring blue sky, and a new beautiful song dedicated to Beirut by the well known composer Ahmad Qabour was played, to add an additional magical touch...
Art Reflections
Eight typographic sculptures on the pool! Beirut Art Fair 2014 featured an installation of eight typographic sculptures, designed by Kameel Hawa, at the lake of Place Samir Kassir for the Fair’s duration from September 18th till September 21st. This is not Hawa’s first experience in typographic sculpture, for Beirut Art Fair 2013 had already featured his piece “Beirut”, which is an iron sculpture featuring the word “Beirut” with a neo-Kufic treatment, exhibited in front of the Le Grey hotel. Apart from that, and away from sculpture, Hawa has a long history of work related to 2D typography, and had in fact authored an art book entitled Word Art II (2010), whose cover featured the design “Fann” which soon enough was turned into “Fusion in Red”, namely the first piece in the collection exhibited at the Place Samir Kassir. All eight sculptures are variations on the Arabic word fann (art), with the material used...
Beirut takes a new turn!
To see my design of Beirut tattooed on the arm of a beautiful young girl, was for me such a touching experience. The design has been appearing and reappearing in places. Posters for festivals, artworks that relate to the city. (one appearing below) You name it. But this was different. You can’t blame me ! ...
Writing a line…or two
Line sketches, are the springs of my Beirut exhibition. Old and new, were brought in, so to speak, and reproduced through various media, as if to revive the intrinsic value of the line sketch. All drawing for me is a line drawing. In oils, or water colors, in type design or word art, in the beginning is a line- actually an outline that defines the form, gives it shape and actually brings it to life.In preparing for the exhibition, sketches even from the early years, were turned into relief linoleum prints. Others into screen prints in line and color. Some were hand colored after prints were made.Screen prints of simple lines reproduced new iPad sketches on both paper and canvas. Here the digital was pulled back into the tangible, so to speak and not the other way round.Line prints on canvas were developed into oil paintings, some were used to...
ART IN THE MAKING
ART starts with feeling. And ends up (in visual arts) as something you want to keep looking at. I define art as the human process of transforming an intense doze of feeling, accumulated in the self, through impressions and emotions over a period of time, into a drawing, a line of poetry, or a tune or any other human activity we can call art. Art in the making if you wish, is the act through which the artist gets into this complex moment where the workings of the human self, through a surge of sentiment, collects from its reservoir of impressions and visual formations and ideas, brings together and puts into a queue those elements and the artist, holding to a tip of a thread starts the process of turning all into a work of art, whatever that work of art may be. v ...