Midad: The Public & Intimate Lives of Arabic Calligraphy

The exhibition 'Midad: The Public and Intimate Lives of Arabic Calligraphy' is concerned with the development and significance of Arabic script from the eighth to the twentieth centuries.

The exhibition is researched by Dr. Alain George and curated by Rachel Dedman.

Drawn from the extraordinary objects of the Nimer Collection, Midad brings together 100 pieces, including ancient folios and myriad manuscripts, textiles, ceramics, armour and amulets. Unbound by chronology or geography, Midad unfolds as a dynamic thematic exhibition, exploring the ways in which calligraphy and script have reflected notions of the public and political, the private and personal, the performative and poetic, across the Arab world and beyond.

Five contemporary artworks, from artists Marwan Rechmaoui, Roy Samaha, Mounira Bdeir Al Solh, Jana Traboulsi and Raed Yassin, have been commissioned in response to the collection and the exhibition’s themes, and will be on show for the duration of the exhibition.