Word into Art

Word into Art' presents highlights of the contemporary art and culture emerging from the Middle East and North Africa today. The works illustrated, many published here for the first time, reflect issues of identity and politics, and the richlydiverse artistic heritage of the region. A powerful theme running through all the works is how artists engage and experiment with the Arabic script. For some this resonates with the sacred tradition of Islam and the Qumran. For other artists the Arabicscript is an undeniable part of their cultural inheritance that influences their creativity: they may use the script to illustrate poetry, to reinforce an Arab or Muslim identity, or to make political points. As a result these contemporary artistsare inventing exciting new genres that are still unmistakably informed by their own artistic traditions.