Adnan Razvi: FLORAL FUTURISM

From Dallas College:

“Dallas College is proud to present FLORAL FUTURISM, the first solo exhibition of Dallas-based artist Adnan Razvi which will feature twelve large-scale Abstract Calligraffiti paintings and a mixed-media installation. The exhibition will be on view from February 7, 2022, through April 15, 2022.

Across different languages, calligraphy is the art of beautiful writing. In Arabic artistic tradition, calligraphy is an artform where beauty becomes timeless through ink and paper. Evolving from the streets, graffiti is another text-based art that uses altered letters to create bold public statements inside urban landscapes. Razvi fuses the best of these two writing styles by transforming the elegant intimacy of traditional calligraphy to make monumental declarations on issues of identity, social justice, and cultural displacement.

Razvi carries on the legacy of the original Calligraffiti movement which was started by Middle Eastern and North African art activists in the 1950s. Born in Chicago to an Indian father and Ugandan mother who were both refugees of political unrest, Razvi’s works delve into his familial heritage and memory to visually manifest a potent new symbolism. Razvi grew up in a multilingual Afro-Asian home where Arabic script and storytelling were important touchpoints of communication.

Using provocative lines, Razvi skillfully manipulates the script using controlled yet fluid drawing gestures so that words removed from their original context now take on new significance as visual experiences. Through deft brushwork and spray paint, letters shift size while illustrated flowers become recurring motifs that remind us of peace and healing. Through layers of meaning, Razvi’s beautiful writing embodies the ancient and modern for a new ritual of expression that transcends history, time, and physical space.”