MULTIPLE FORMS

One of the foremost calligraphers of our time, Ali Omar Ermes composes peerless images from the word. Steeped in faith and the concepts of Islam, this work is a homage to the life of the Prophet Mohammad through the Qasidat al-Burda (The Poem of the Cloak) by al-Busairi. The poem was compiled under great duress by the Sufi master al-Busairi (A.D. 1212-1296). Having suffered a major stroke and paralysis on the left side of his body, the sheikh composed and recited his poem as a mantra during his illness. In its repetition, he found great solace.

The poem is full of love for the Prophet who is said to have come to al-Busairi in a dream, cast his cloak over his sleeping form and cured him of his paralysis. The love expressed for Mohammad in Islamic culture is the pure emotion of a believer for his Prophet. It is an abstract thing that can be all-consuming, transcending the love of man for his fellows. It is a pure and unadulterated devotion often articulated in devout poetry by pious men.

Original production date: 2004
Artwork Size: 152cm x 122cm
Materials: Acrylic on paper, mounted on canvas
Location of Original: Sold at auction to Private Collector

Also in ARTWORKS IN PRIVATE COLLECTIONS

ALIF SUCOON

With eight lines of the poem by Muaan Ibn Aws. The verses describe the poet’s stand for honour, rejecting and condemning corruption and social decay.

This is one of a series of four Musical Alifs each with different short vowels, the others being Alif Kesrah, Alif Fethah, and Alif Dhammah, the respective sounds given to the letter by the short vowels are i, a and u, the succoon of the Alif Succoon meaning silence. Thus the artist engages with the expression of the poem, using form, colour, texture, and sound, by using the four vowels of the Alif in its four degrees from low to high.

Continue Reading →

TUGHRA

This vibrant piece contains the verse from the learned philosopher-poet Abul Ala Al Ma’arri, in which he says:

“When I utter the implausible, I can shout it out loud without fear or favour, but when I speak of the truth I have to whisper”

Continue Reading →

HARF UL DAL

This piece is about the power of the single stroke technique which Ali Omar Ermes employs as a hallmark of a number of his works.

It explores the vast richness of the Arabic language and the magnitude of the depth of expression in Arabic with the simplest and most direct method or as complicated as you wish.

Continue Reading →