About

This Spotlight website is an online adaptation of the exhibition Letters | الحروف How Artists Reimagined Language in the Age of Decolonization, previously installed in the Brown Gallery of UC Berkeley's Doe Library, March 13- August 31, 2023.

It is conceived as an online resource to make materials, texts, and research from the Letters | الحروف exhibit accessible after the exhibition has ended. The digital format allows for sharing expanded content not included in the physical exhibition as well as enhancements for accessibility, such as auditory alternatives.

The site was built by Teddi Haynes, Viv Kammerer, Anneka Lenssen, Val Machado, Reyansh Sathishkumar, and Hayley Zupancic.

Contextual Features

"The Age of Decolonization," "the Art of Calligraphy," "Language Politics," and "Poet & Artist Collaborations" - Anneka Lenssen with contributions from students of 192Cu Exhibiting Calligraphic Modernism

Featured Artists

"Sadequain: Beyond space, across mediums" - Viv Kammerer and Murtaza Hiraj

"Ibrahim El-Salahi: The meeting of transcendence and tradition" - Val Machado with contributions from Suri Zheng

"Mohammed Khadda and Jean Sénac: Art for an independent Algeria" - Reyansh Satishkumar and Jasmine Nadal-Chung

"Bedri Rahmi Eyüboğlu: 'An art as unique as Matisse and as Turkish as our coffee...'" - Hayley Zupancic with contributions from Marissa Lee and Shanti Knutzen

"Etel Adnan: Painting in Arabic" - Teddi Haynes with contributions from A. Wara

"Saleh al-Jumaie: Baghdad's print culture in exile, 1980s" - Anneka Lenssen

"Dia al-Azzawi: Connecting the letter across communities" - Drew Atkins and Eva Elfishawy, adapted for web by Anneka Lenssen

"Rafa al-Nasiri: The travels and influence of an Iraqi artist" - Sharan Dulai and Jinyu Xu, adapted for web by Anneka Lenssen

"The Boat of Creed: How is it composed?" - Riana Azevedo and Alice Xie

Co-curators Lynn Cunningham, art librarian, and Mohamed Hamed, Middle Eastern and Near Eastern studies librarian, provided expert research guidance from start to finish.

We are grateful to Julie Wolf for photographing the exhibition cases and materials with such care. Photos of the opening and visitors to the exhibition are taken by Jami Smith (UC Berkeley Library) and Julie Wolf (History of Art Department). Aisha Hamilton, Dan Vaccaro, and Amber Lawrence of the UC Berkeley Library offered expert guidance. The Center for Middle Eastern Studies at UC Berkeley provided funding to see the exhibition through to completion.