Full Name Ruhul Alam Movement Visual Dhikr Website www.visualdhikr.com Role Artist Known for Calligraphy | Nationality British Spouse(s) Iythar Name Ruh al-Alam Education Central Saint Martins | |
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Born 1981 (age 33–34) Wapping, London, England | ||
#31 Ruh Al-Alam on cultural belonging, learning Arabic calligraphy and his take on Islamic branding
Ruh al-'Alam (Arabic: ; born Ruhul Alam Bengali: 1981) is an English Islamic artist who creates mainly works of Islamic calligraphy He is the founder of Visual Dhikr, an Islamic calligraphic artwork project.
Contents
- 31 Ruh Al Alam on cultural belonging learning Arabic calligraphy and his take on Islamic branding
- Early life
- Career
- Personal life
- References
Early life
Alam was born in London, England, and was brought up in Wapping, East London. He is of Bangladeshi descent, He has been interested in art since his childhood, when he was fascinated with inventing and drawing.
Alam attended the Harry Gosling Primary School and Stepney Green School for Boys. During his years in education including college and university, he took every opportunity of learning art. He had a passion for graphic design which led to the interest of calligraphy, through the appreciation of typography and Islamic art.
Career
Alam works under the title of Visual Dhikr, which means visual remembrance. Dhikr in Arabic means the remembrance of God. He coined the term Visual Dhikr, which technically does not exist in Islamic or Muslim terminology, in 2000, and officially launched a website in 2003 with the same title and concept, which is now a trade marked name.
Alam's early works at the Central St Martins College of Art & Design included artworks of cartoons which were concerned with health issues such as drugs or smoking, including western culture, and also Palestine. He comes from a traditional graphic design, photography and illustration background. Alam has also worked on video and motion FX projects. His most recent piece was about the Visual Dhikr project.
Personal life
Alam lives in London and is married to the Egyptian British artist, Iythar.
