Peace over Kaaba -2017
Peace over Kaaba -2017
By Mona Mohamed Ibrahim Hussein
The Kaaba painting I completed in 2017 was part of an exhibition at Kennesaw State University, where professors and students showcased their work. This artwork resulted from workshops I conducted with students and professors, under the supervision of Dr. Sandra Bird, who worked tirelessly to bring this experience to life and push the workshops and lectures into action. This experience was special to me as a university professor, as I was accustomed to working with Egyptian students, both Muslims and non-Muslims, who understood Islamic art. In addition, I had the experience of teaching female students at Umm Al-Qura University in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where students are deeply connected to Islamic arts, given their proximity to the Sacred Mosque and their association with the traditions and culture of Islamic art. When working with Sandra Bird at Kennesaw State University in the workshop series, I was teaching a group of students and professors who had no background in Islamic art or Arabic calligraphy. As Dr. Sandra and I collaborated, I found that most of those I encountered were enthusiastic about the work, excited to learn, and open to accepting others despite differences. This positive energy stirred within me the spirit of the dialogical artist. It was not only a conversation about the details of Islamic art, but a dialogue of exchanging knowledge, ideas, and experiences, which created an atmosphere of peace. This evoked a sense of peace that envelops the Kaaba (the Sacred Mosque), where AsSalam (Peace) is one of the names of Allah. Peace, as an attribute of Allah, manifested in my mind in the form of the Kaaba, shaded by peace, through a pigeon written with Arabic letters spelling the word “peace,” taking the shape of the pigeon in an abstract linear style. Golden ornaments represented the repetitive stars and geometric shapes, intertwined to symbolize the door of the Kaaba made of pure gold. In another dimension, printed letters in the silk screen technique appeared in soft, varying colors, but they intertwined as if to reflect that no matter how different people are, our prayers and supplications to Allah, the Creator of the universe, intertwine and fill the space around the Kaaba. All of this was set against a black background, harmonizing with the black cloth of the Kaaba adorned with golden embroidery. The black also signifies that, in this sacred space, our focus is solely on the Kaaba and our prayers to Allah Almighty. The Kaaba represents the direction of the Qibla for prayer, and above it is the Throne of the Most Merciful (Allah)