Amin Abbas

DUBAI: Mami, also known as MAMIMOZI, is a Japanese Calligrapher who picked up the brush at the early age of nine.

By high school, her struggle for self-expression could be seen in her strokes. Fusing the visual language of graffiti, a product of Hip Hop culture, and traditional calligraphy, MAMI has established her own sense of style ‘Calligraf2ity,’ which is ‘2’ representing the sound ‘fu’ goes back to the traditional Japanese counting system: Hi fu mi yo… (for 1, 2, 3, 4…).

Merging Japanese calligraphy with graffiti, these “two” seemingly disparate cultures make up the future culture of Calligraf2ity.

Through her solo exhibitions and performances, her unique expression has circled the globe, starting from Japan and to over 40 countries. Currently, she is based in Tokyo and she often travels the world to share her distinctive style.

帰国して24時間以内に、海外の方向け書道教室、パフォーマンス2件、インタビューの撮影をこなして明日は午前中から岡山出張からの周南でパフォーマンス！負けない！！

こちらはパフォーマンスin Dubaiコミコン🇦🇪 pic.twitter.com/OLEQMvI8qu

— 書道家 万美 (@mamimozi) November 15, 2022

MAMIMOZI told Arab News Japan her first encounter with calligraphy was when she was nine years old. “In Japanese elementary schools, calligraphy classes are part of the curriculum, and this was the first time I picked up a brush.”

“I was so happy that I could write well, and my friends praised my writing, so, I went home and asked my parents directly to let me go to a calligraphy lesson,” she added.

She decided to become a calligrapher at 17, explaining she also had passion for athletics, but ultimately decided to specialize in calligraphy.

“My first job as a calligrapher was a CD cover for a Japanese hip-hop artist. I sent an e-mail directly to the distribution company and was asked to draw it,” she added.

About the challenges that she faced during her career in the calligraphy field, MAMIMOZI said: “There was a time when I put unnecessary pressure on myself. As I started to make a living from calligraphy, I became very anxious and pressured about whether my work was worth the price I was getting paid. However, after realizing that I need to keep myself in a healthy state in order to do a good job, and that is what makes me a professional, I started enjoying to create my works with a moderate amount of tension.”

About the most inspirational thing from Japanese culture that she has adapted into her daily life, MAMIMOZI said: “Other than calligraphy, I think the Japanese culture that inspires me the most is Japanese hip hop.”

“You may be surprised to learn that it is not a traditional culture, but I have been fascinated by the energy since elementary school until now, and it has strongly influenced my own style of calligraphy. I listen to it all the time, even during production,” she added.

MAMIMOZI was one of the Japanese guests who were invited to PopCon ME event last November. She said she was also surprised by the extent to which Japanese anime culture has penetrated in the UAE and she would like to watch more of it.