"Famous for his meticulous work in ink on parchment, he is considered 'an explorer of signs' and a 'choreographer of letters'. Nja Mahdaoui creates rhythmic abstract compositions inspired by Arabic calligraphy."
Famous for his meticulous work in ink on parchment, he is considered ‘an explorer of signs’ and a ‘choreographer of letters’. Nja Mahdaoui creates rhythmic abstract compositions inspired by Arabic calligraphy. Born in 1937 in Tunisia, Nja Mahdaoui graduated from the Academia Santa Andrea in Rome and the École du Louvre in Paris , where he also pursued further training at the Cité Internationale des Arts. His works have been widely shown around the world in GCC, Asia, America, Africa and Europe. He has illustrated legendary or sacred texts, including tales from the collection of “One Thousand and One Nights” in an outstanding publication in French. In 2018, Elmarsa Gallery in Tunis presented a retrospective exhibition of his works from 1966 to 2018. His work has been presented in international art fairs in Basel, Paris, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Marrakech and Miami. He has been the Jury member and Honor guest of many international events and biennales such as the UNESCO Prize for the Promotion of the Arts. He has received a number of distinctions and international awards. His works can be found in numerous international private and public collections including the British Museum and the Smithsonian Museum in Washington DC, the Mathaf in Doha, the Institut du Monde Arabe (IMA) in Paris, the National Gallery of Kuala Lumpur.