At home with Shazeaa Ingar: a studio visit

Calligraphic artist Shazeaa Ingar works from her home studio in Dubai to produce collections that have shown around the city in places such as the Art Couture Gallery, Times Square, and most recently in an exhibition for Ramadan in the Media One Hotel.

When we visited her at home, we saw her three collections: Al Haalah (named after her eldest daughter), Al Harf (The Letters) and Al Haq (The Truth) and heard her story.

Ever since she was 10 years old, the British painter has been producing artwork. She was fascinated by henna patterns and arabesque art, which she learnt at school. Over time, Ingar craved for her work to have meaning and depth, and so developed her style from geometric works to abstract calligraphy. She now takes inspiration from phrases, or sometimes simply words or letters from the Qur’an.

Her living room transforms into her studio when she paints, and there she also hangs a small collection of ancient manuscripts from Qur’an that give her inspiration.

Ingar tries to incorporate both beauty and the strength of her messages into her work. “Although it’s very abstract and contemporary, most of the pieces have a strong and profound meaning,” she says. “Being able to share the values and beauty of Islam on a personal level is immensely important, and that is why all my artwork references to some sort of Islamic nature.”

Ingar says that her method of producing a piece of art has evolved over time. “In the past, I would choose a phrase from the Qur’an that caught my eye, and then base the work around that. However, my structure had developed over the years quite a bit, and now I sometimes wake up with explosions of colour in my mind, and I apply that inner creativity to the canvas. The calligraphy usually comes a little bit later.” She says that for the Al Haq collection — which consists of significant words or verses — she combined colours, textures, and calligraphy.

Ingar is a mother of two and also a business psychologist, so finding time to work on her paintings can be challenging at the best of times. However, Ingar doesn’t just paint because she has the time to do so, she waits for when it feels right: “I always wait for that specific rush of creativity to come when I paint; nothing can match that. Sometimes I’ll get an idea in the night, and just go mad with it on the canvas, until someone wakes up and asks ‘What did you do?’ ”

The painter says that she is trying to get a little more in touch with the public by allowing them to “stumble across” her art in places such as a hotel, rather than a gallery. “I think it is a nice way to introduce people to art, and Arabic calligraphy in particular — especially when you do not expect to see it.”

* For more information about Shazeaa Ingar, upcoming events and exhibitions visit her website: arabicartdubai.com

* Aleena Jan Khan is a high-school student based in Dubai aspiring for a career in journalism.