Art / Calligraphy

by Mehdi Sabour

To me, art is the expression of a reality we can only hint at. The wonderful complexity of reality evades representations through single forms. Amongst the different artforms, brush calligraphy stands out in many ways. The figure and the background complement each other, while the movements of the wrist and the brush strokes that created the figure can be noticed and appreciated as well. How spontaneous one stroke was, how slowly another covered the page, and the fragility of the human body in drawing simple shapes are all features brush calligraphy highlights. I depicted the words love (사랑) and happiness (행복) in the Korean hangul alphabet but each with their own particular connotation. I also depicted the japanese kana “wa” (わ) in its hiragana form, as seen in watashi (わたし), the genderless term translating to “I” in english. Finally, Cycle of Inc and Opposites Complete are inspired by Zen buddhist imagery, particularly the Enso (circle) as often seen in Japanese calligraphy.

Mahdi Sabour is a recent graduate in Kinesiology. He is interested in arts, philosophy, and sports. He hopes to start law school very soon and likes to play volleyball with his friends