Calligraphy art to celebrate UAE’s culture is now on display at the Expo 2020 Dubai

DUBAI: In the latest series of live art experiences at Talabat Kitchen, held in collaboration with Dubai Culture, Emirati artist Diaa Allam added a uniquely local twist to Talabat’s growing collection of motorbike helmets turned into works of art, now on display at Expo 2020 Dubai.

Allam, who is famed in the region for his modern re-interpretation of the traditional Arabic art form of calligraphy, demonstrated his skills live at Expo 2020 Dubai’s Talabat Kitchen.

The previous artists in this series of installations are Evgenia Silvina, Khawla Salman, Ella Orencillo and Mahmood Alabadi, who have each offered their own interpretation of UAE culture, applied to a Talabat delivery driver’s helmet.

During his installation, Allam embellished the headwear combining the classic, clean lines of traditional calligraphy with a vibrant, modern palette of nearly-neon blue, pink and orange.

Speaking in a leather jacket artfully customised with his own design, Allam explained that one of many motivations for working with Talabat and Dubai Culture on this project was the chance to fuse his art with the contemporary.

“It’s very important to bring the traditional way of writing Arabic calligraphy to the modern world. This is how we can connect to our history and our culture, and it is important that we integrate and blend calligraphy with modern technology, ideas and style so that the new generation can connect to it,” Allam said.

Ajman-based Allam has been participating in live art installations for seven years now. During these live events, the artwork usually takes form in two stages – initial planning and then executing his vision live during the event. And the inspiration, he says, can come from anywhere – even a sci-fi movie. 

Allam has now worked on several projects at Expo 2020 Dubai, including some of the shows at Al Wasl Plaza. He commented: “It’s really a huge honour for me to work with Expo 2020 Dubai. It actually reflects what I aim for with my art; I want to present my art to the whole world in a very creative and cutting-edge way. Expo 2020 Dubai is a really good platform for any artist to be part of.”

Source: Expo 2020 Website