Emel magazine May/June 2004

Islamic art is rising like a phoenix from the ashes of its past life to be reborn as rich and alive as before. The renaissance is the collective attempts of innovative work by British artists such as Vaseem Mohammed who combine classical and post-modernist styles to appeal to the audience of today.

Starting off with no artistic background or experience Vaseem has come a long way to become the artist he is now. Vaseem left his work in the retail industry in search of something which would be more fulfilling. “I come from a retail management background but I got so bored with it so I left. I ended up doing a foundation course which then opened up so much for me. I spent one year on my own basically just painting and experimenting.” Vaseem embarked on a year long course at Tower Hamlets College where he focused on graphic design to teach him the essentials.

Vaseem’s individuality came through at the early stages of his teaching when he refused to conform to the standard and style asked of him. “When I was doing my art and design course my teachers couldn’t help me. I was very stubborn, they used to say you can’t do that and I never used to listen to them.” Vaseem felt there had been a void in his teaching due to his interest in Islamic art and culture. “I needed someone to guide me and there was this amazing Sudanese man who was a 70-year-old master calligrapher, who guided me.” His guide was Osman Waqiallah, a revered artist whose work in the Vatican. Osman got him the art of calligraphy which is now a trademark of Vaseem’s paintings.

Starting out Vaseem’s work was very much experimental and an individual, striking style has emerged. Vaseem has two distinct styles of which one uses calligraphy as the heart of the piece juxtaposed on top of modernist, abstract style work. In his own words Vaseem describes the calligraphy as a representation of Islam’s stability and presence in an ever-changing world.

Vaseem draws from his childhood experiences of living in the East end of London in the Seventies. “That’s what inspires me; I like it, dilapidation, paint peeling off and things like that. In my parents house, which was over a 100 years old I used to peel at the wall paper, as children do, and there was decades of wallpaper there and subconsciously I started using that in my work.”

The surrounding work is done in layers using acrylic and gouache producing different textures and forms. “I keep stripping the layers of paint and eventually there comes some sort of an order. It is symbolic of the environment and the state of the world today. There is so much beauty in the world, Allah created it at the end of the day, and then there is mans destruction of it, whereas the calligraphy always stays intact like the Qur’an. The text is always the same and that is to show that Qur’an is always there whereas the world is ever-changing and evolving.”

 The art of calligraphy was favoured in Islam to figural images to convey its core convictions as Islamic leaders saw the use of figural arts as possible idolatry. Islam’s theocracy then looked to calligraphy for religious expression. Vaseem made a conscious decision when embarking on his career to abstain from using animate images in his work in accordance with this tradition. He found that rather than restricting him in his works this opened up avenues for artistic expression by urging him to experiment with abstract styles. Calligraphy has built a reputation over the centuries as a symbol representing power and beauty and is revered by Muslims worldwide and appreciated by non-Muslims alike. The combination of artistry and scholarship has resulted in a sublime reputation which combines divine and moral representations. The use of calligraphy in Vaseem’s work adds an abstract beauty which draws the eye to the heart of the painting and gives it a soul and meaning.

The calligraphy used is varied and each painting has a complimentary style and design to fit in with the ethos of the piece. Kufic calligraphy has been in used in both the traditional and ornamental styles along with the more elaborate Thuluth and oriental Sini styles. The style is chosen depending on the theme of the piece and for its aesthetic beauty. In each case the relationship between the inscriptions and the disorder of paint produces a profound effect on the viewers urging them to question and understand the complexities of the piece and its message.

The path to art was intertwined with the path to Islam. “I got into Islam at the same time as I got into art. I guess one thing leads to another. It was more to do with the Islamic heritage and the arts as opposed to the religious side, that came later.” His work has a political message along with a religious one and is representative of world events occurring at the time. Vaseem uses his work to introduce people to Islam and make it more open to a wider audience. “I work firstly to bridge the gap between Muslims and non-Muslims. Also it is another window introducing people to Islam. As well as stuff that is happening at the moment and in the past, I’ve found it is a good way of attracting people and engaging them, in debate and discussion especially.”

Architecture is another distinct feature of Vaseem’s paintings. The walled cities painted incorporate the trademark domes, arches and intertwining alleyways that are a signature of Islamic architecture. The paintings are primarily inspired by a trip to Multan, a walled desert city in Pakistan. “There are a lot of saints and many monuments in Multan. These (the paintings) are views of the city. Its how light works with architecture. It’s my own interpretation and it’s just done, it’s not drawn out or anything. I carve these things out and use light and dark. It’s just trying to take manuscripts and putting them in different elements and contexts.”

The paintings share an expression of isolation and yet represent a global community. This is an expression of Vaseem’s own feelings of isolation both amongst the western and Islamic community. The walled cities are often mistaken for paintings of Morocco and other countries with Islamic heritage showing the unification of the architecture and Islam. Architecture in Islam tends to follow certain decorative principles which span all buildings and objects. The same ideas forms and designs recur across the Islamic world which prevail differences in art quality and execution of style explaining the familiarity of Vaseem’s paintings.

Initially Vaseem exhibited his work at Spitalfields market in the east end of London and eventually moved on to open his own gallery nearby. These days he works on commissions as well as private work. He has just finished a commission for an MBI international private jet which involved a set of complimentary paintings. He has also produced props for a forthcoming film called Redlight Runners. The film is being directed by Michael Madsen and the story involves the forgery of a ninth century Qur’an which Vaseem had to reproduce. This involved learning staining techniques to age the Qur’an and detailed study of calligraphy in that era resulting in a masterful replica.

Vaseem plans to travel further afield for inspiration and to exhibit his work. “My future plans are to go to the Middle East and Saudi Arabia to exhibit in a gallery called Zamzam gallery, one of the biggest galleries there. There is a client of mine who is going to take me over and I am hopefully going to do some work for the Saudi royal family.”

Vaseem is very introspective with his inspirations. He prefers to use experiences, emotions and situations which affect him personally than taking inspiration from other artists. “To be honest I don’t really look at much art, I just do my own thing, and I’ve always been like that. I actually refer to books but a lot of my stuff is kind of experimental.” Vaseem’s work is truly innovative and exciting and challenges traditional preconception of views and perspectives on Islamic culture.

Nadia Anwar