Romancing the enigmatic desert

In an age when handwriting has largely given way to typing or speaking into digital devices, the National Museum of China in Beijing still draws visitors to its long-term display of ancient Chinese calligraphy. Here, the beauty of handwriting endures, expressed on paper, pottery, bronze, tiles, stone, and even coins.

Now, a new dialogue in calligraphy is unfolding at the museum. Artists from Saudi Arabia have brought their own celebration of the written form, presented with bold, experimental approaches.

At the ongoing Art of the Kingdom: Poetic Illuminations, an exhibition that focuses on the contemporary art scenes in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the timeless elegance of Arabic calligraphy and the embodied cultural meanings are honored by some of the shown works, such as Arabi Gharbi, a neon installation created by Nasser Al-Salem at the entrance to the exhibition. The Silent Press, an installation by Muhannad Shono, uses the form of writing to explore how printing conveys the meaning of words.