The Choreographer of Letters

Nja Mahdaoui: The Choreographer of Letters’ (24 October 2025 – 25 January 2026) explores the work of Tunisian multimedia artist Nja Mahdaoui (born 1937, Tunisia). Co-curated by Dr Michaela Watrelot, Head Curator and Director of Exhibitions at Bassam Freiha Art Foundation, and Nja Mahdaoui’s daughter, Molka Mahdaoui, this focused retrospective surveys over six decades of practice by the Tunisian master, who elevates Arabic calligraphy into a visual and abstract contemporary art form.

On view are nearly 30 works from Nja Mahdaoui’s early career through to recent years, including paintings on parchment, vellum paper, linen and metal, silkscreen prints and bronze sculpture. Highlights include an early painting from Mahdaoui’s ‘Concretion’ series (1971) that layers intense red, green and blue swirls of lacquered oil, with his signature abstracted calligraphy extending horizontally across the composition in a dynamic interplay of form and gesture. A large-scale and intricate masterpiece created in mixed media, ‘Untitled 3’, from the ‘Azimuth’ series (2012) sees sweeping diagonals and concentric forms intersect with a central circular motif to orchestrate movement across the vellum surface. ‘Graphemes on Arches 2’ (2011) presents a masterfully complex and colourful circle tightly composed in ink, and is exemplary of the strong presence of balance and rhythm across the artist’s work.

The exhibition bridges both tradition and modernity and explores how Mahdaoui’s calligraphic abstraction has shaped global perceptions of Arab art. Bringing together notions of identity and heritage, it celebrates his enduring legacy whilst simultaneously reinforcing the foundation’s role as a leading platform for Arab artistic excellence and cross-cultural dialogue.

“Internationally renowned as a ‘choreographer of letters’, Mahdaoui is widely recognised for his pioneering role in the development of calligraphic abstraction, freeing the letter from its linguistic constraints to reveal its endless creative potential,” said Dr Michaela Watrelot. “He is one of the leading modern Arab artists, and it is an honour to bring his retrospective to Saadiyat Island to celebrate his artistic legacy and cement our commitment to giving local audiences access to private art collections, with this collection from the Nja Mahdaoui Foundation. This is an unmissable exhibition for anyone interested in the MENA region’s culture and heritage.”

Molka Mahdaoui added, “The Nja Mahdaoui Foundation is truly honoured to collaborate with the esteemed Bassam Freiha Art Foundation on an exhibition celebrating both Nja Mahdaoui’s remarkable 60-year artistic journey and his long-standing connection with the UAE – especially as the exhibition, presented in the heart of Abu Dhabi’s cultural district, is designed to coincide with the launch of the first ever catalogue raisonné project dedicated to a Tunisian artist, to be published by Rizzoli.”