Arab News Japan

TOKYO: As part of the celebration of 50 years of diplomatic relations between Qatar and Japan, the inauguration of the Dialogue of Papers Exhibition, featuring a Japanese and Qatari artist, took place in the artistic space 3331 Arts Chiyoda in Tokyo on Friday.

Artists Youssef Ahmad and Hayaki Nishigaki worked together mixing Japanese and Arabic calligraphy.  Qatari artist and calligrapher Ahmad started his career in 1970, while Nishigaki graduated from Tokyo University of Arts in 2012.

In March, the artists worked together in Ahmad’s workshop in Doha and developed textures of Kozo and palm-based papers while mixing Arabic and Japanese calligraphic designs to produce 28 works, which are being exhibited at gallery 3331

Some works were produced by a single artist while others were more collaborative. Among the more interesting works are one portraying the tail of the monster Godzilla and satirical portraits of artists who refer to the works of the Edo era and the characters of the Manga of Hokusai.

Nishigaki used the COVID pandemic as one theme and explained to Arab News that his style of drawings and themes drew from the Nara period and the great smallpox epidemics that struck Japan at that time.

Another work that has fascinated the public is a circle on which verses from the Koran are written. It is titled: “We made you nations and tribes so that you may know one another.” The paper is a mixture of Japanese and Arabic textures.

During the inauguration, Sheikh Hamad Nasser Hamad Al Thani, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of Qatar, presented a trophy to the two artists and praised the connection of culture and art between Qatar and Japan. The artists then demonstrated their skills as calligraphers in front of the audience.