Palestinian artist’s motherhood inspires her to create meaningful calligraphy

By Salam AbuSharar

TULKARM, Palestine (AA) - At her workspace, Hanaa Hamarsheh, 30, used to design calligraphy in the presence of 1-year-old child Yousef, who inspired her to create designs that combine different branches of sciences, with their own philosophical message either for adults or children.

Relying on her bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, her continuous study of the history of the art of calligraphy, the Arabic language, and related Sufi philosophies about the symbolism of Arabic alphabet letters, Hamarsheh finds her own way to prepare the ink using the suitable pigments that can be stable for a long time in her designs.

Then she creates her calligraphy with many different Arabic poems that are very popular among her followers on social media platforms.

Speaking to Anadolu Agency, the artist recalled how her passion for the Arabic language and calligraphy was encouraged by her father since her childhood. According to her, he used to buy books for her and her brothers. They read the books together, thinking about the intellectual content of the books.

“We were young children. Every Friday, my father would sit with us to read the Islamic prophetic poems that reflects the value of Prophet Mohammad, peace be upon him. This weekly activity let me understand that the Arabic language isn’t an urgent issue in our lives, it’s an original component of our culture,” said Hamarsheh.

The resulted ideas at each Friday’s sitting are very clear in Hamarsheh’s works over the years. She is impacted by the phrases of the poems and depends on them to create very obvious details related to Sufi beliefs.

Also, she reflected the story of the Palestinian struggle through her works by integrating symbols of the Palestinian struggle and texts from the Muslim holy book, the Quran, or parts of poems.

Hamarsheh uses animals in her calligraphy depending on their symbolism in Arabic literature and religious thoughts. Either the horses, which symbolize brave hearts, or butterflies that symbolize the continuous effect even if it’s invisible. Many of her works were created with the inspiration of the Sufi poet Mevlana Jalaluddin al-Rumi.

Since her studies at the faculty of engineering at An-Najah National University in Nablus, Hamarsheh prepared many designs of Arabic calligraphy for adults.

“I aim to enhance the presence of Arabic and its deep beauty in the daily lives of the Palestinian youths and make them proud of their mother language,” she said.

One year ago, Hamarsheh became a mother to her first child Yousef, who inspired her to move to another level of creating designs for children.

Motivated by her motherly love, Hamarsheh selected certain parts from the Quran that encourage the strength of will and the ability of each individual to make a positive change in the world.

“My baby let me feel the importance of the Arabic language in the early stage of child education. Through my motherhood, I recalled my childhood and reflected these feelings in calligraphy,” she added.

A few months ago, with her baby in Istanbul, Türkiye, Hamarsheh spent a long holiday producing calligraphy for him also for the children everywhere whom parents follow her works.

“Traveling through several countries and discovering their cultures and how rich they are and also how the arts were developed helped me find a way to think outside the box, either in the designs or content. I hope to keep going on and hope my vision in this art to be spread internationally soon,” she added.

In December 1999, the UN General Assembly announced Aug. 12 as International Youth Day. Since that date, the annual celebration of this day has a particular theme that tries to serve as a platform for educational, social, and political issues related to youths.

The theme this year is “Intergenerational Solidarity: Creating a World for All Ages.”

It aims to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals and ensure that no one is left behind.