Biography
Soraya Syed is a classically trained calligrapher and artist dedicated to bringing the ancient art of Arabic calligraphy into the 21st century through film, dance, VR, and three-dimensional sculptures. Her pioneering work has been exhibited across Europe and the Middle East and is prized by collectors worldwide. In 2005, she became the first Briton to be awarded the coveted ijazah, or authoritative license to practice the art of calligraphy from the celebrated Turkish masters Hasan Çelebi and Efdaluddin Kılıç.
Soraya’s work is a sustained visual meditation on the intersection of calligraphy and technology. Her practice is driven by an endless fascination with the Arabic script and its intoxicating versatility and depth of meaning. She works from her studio in London.
Image Credits: Marija Vainilaviciute
"Soraya Syed, inspired by the dynamic qualities of the Arabic script, deploys every capacity in her body and soul to inhabit, embody, and surface for the viewer the inherent complexities of the experience of writing as it navigates between sound and silence, between movement and meaning."
Professor Sussan Babaie, The Courtauld Institute of Art
“Islamic calligraphy is still evolving, thanks to artists like Soraya Syed.”
BBC Civilisations
