Exhibit | Kufic Calligraphic Designs

Our Kufic Calligraphic Designs exhibit, featuring the work of architect and designer Nicholas Stone, will continue through May. The exhibit space will be open on Tuesdays. Group visits can be arranged by appointment. Please complete the RSVP form below if you or a group would like to visit the exhibit.

The exhibition features 25 pieces in mosaic tile and 16 painted panels. Each is accompanied by the Arabic inscription in conventional text, an English translation, and diagrams helping to decipher the Kufic script, which is not always easy for the untrained eye to read. All pieces feature short passages selected from the Qur'an and Hadith sources, which encapsulate an essential spiritual message. This is the first time Nicholas shares his designs with a public audience.

Nicholas Stone

Having studied architecture in his native England, Nicholas Stone worked for Egyptian architect, Abdel Wahed El-Wakil, foremost pioneer of a revival of traditional Islamic architecture, on projects including the Qiblatain Mosque and Miqat Mosque in Madinah. Thereafter he joined SL Rasch in Germany, working on domes for the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah and for projects in Malaysia; he later established a design company in Kuala Lumpur in partnership with his wife, Nazanin Sheikhi, dedicated to working with traditional architecture.

Embracing Islam in his early twenties, Nicholas developed a love for Islamic art and learned that the two foremost arts in Islam were calligraphy and architecture. His love for Islamic calligraphy led him to experiment with Square Kufic art as this was something he felt he could dare to attempt without a traditional calligraphic training, since it essentially involves forming the letters on a square grid and getting them to interlock in a way that perfectly fills the space.

Exhibit RSVP Form

Location: 5659 S Woodlawn Avenue (Private Residence)