Calligraphy Painting

Contributed by
Alibaba

"Art for me was a form of comfort, something that calmed me and kept my family calm beside me...it was very important during this journey and helped me a lot."

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Alibaba’s contemporary calligraphy is both intuitive and expressive. Blending the ancient art of Persian calligraphy with abstract imagery, he begins with a single letter or word, allowing the composition to unfold, often without knowing where it will lead. In 2021, following a shift in power in Afghanistan, Alibaba and his family were evacuated by the U.S. Department of State. While in temporary housing on a U.S. military base in Qatar, he used paper he had carried from Kabul to create this piece titled 'Suitcase', inspired by a poem of the same name by Afghan poet Mohammad Sharif Saiidi. After carrying a lifetime of belongings in a single bag, the suitcase became a powerful symbol of everything that was left behind, and the pain too great to be contained. For the first time, he incorporated English words into his calligraphy, influenced by the voices of British and American soldiers around him. Resettling in the U.S. has opened new paths for Alibaba, transforming him both as an artist and as a person. Listen to his story...

Transcript

00:00 to 00:20 Immigration has been an important part of my life. My family and I left Afghanistan with just one suitcase, which contained a few clothes and a small amount of calligraphy materials. 00:20 to 00:38 When someone leaves their ancestral land, where they were born and raised and have a lot of memories …and when you suddenly leave that land and become a migrant, you lose all that you once had. 00:39 to 01:51 During the journey, art gave me more peace. The conditions were very tough. How would the future unfold for me and my family of six and where we will fit in this world? There were many worries. Art for me was a form of comfort, something that calmed me and kept my family calm beside me...it was very important during this journey and helped me a lot. 01:19 to 01:29 Within this piece is a poem about immigration, specifically the immigration of Afghans. 01:31 to 01:55 If you look at the painting, there are many columns, you will see traces of the many paths that Afghans have traveled to reach peaceful lives outside of Afghanistan. Each of these roads have their own hardships and complications. 01:57 to 02:30 At the center of the painting, a part of the poem is written in red, symbolising the bleeding and bereaved heart. So many Afghans have lost their lives along the way, and the hearts of their loved ones are left in sorrow for their rest of their lives. 02:31 to 02:56 For me, it is difficult to explain my own paintings, and it's something I don’t particularly enjoy. I hope that those who stand before this painting can connect with it, find happiness if they are happy and find sadness if they carry that emotion. 02:57 to 03:17 I am no longer the man I was 2 years ago. My world has changed a lot. While immigration has taken many things from me, it has also given me better opportunities, and I will always be grateful and for it. 03:19 to 03:42 The reason for this is that I met new people, saw new things, and my world of imagination has opened up and my thoughts have expanded. These shifts have had a strong impact on my work. 03:44 to 03:51 I hope when I pass from this world, people remember me as a calligrapher and that is my legacy.