Indian calligraphy makes a mark

Dharmesh Jadeja, a calligraphist and architect who lives in Auroville is the first artist of his ilk to be invited to be a part of the residency at the University of Sunderland in the United Kingdom.

The university’s faculty of design, media and culture has an International Centre for Research in Calligraphy where which has been exploring the links between the different cultures and researching deeper insights in to the calligraphy traditions of different cultures. It is mainly run by two Your browser may not support display of this image. well-known calligraphers and researchers in Europe, Ewan Clayton and Manny Ling. 

Dharmesh says, “I have been in touch with them regarding certain research work on Indian calligraphy.” He adds, “I think my work is very much an exploration of myself and my search rather than the outward expression of any particular style or subject. Which is why in the last 20 years I’ve never held an exhibition and rather have always viewed calligraphy as a tool for self exploration.”

Dharmesh will also be attending an international symposium, which is held every two years by IRCC and which brings together some renowned masters in the subject from across the globe. “I was invited to be the first artist in residence prior to this symposium and I have worked here for over three weeks prior to symposium and exhibited my work during this time. I will be attending the symposium and giving a talk on Indian calligraphy’s traditions and beyond.”

Dharmesh concentrates on the letter forms, their combinations, formation, and structure and explores the ideas behind the forms of ancient Indian letters, in particular, the Devanagari script. He explains, “I have worked on the beauty of these forms for many years, exploring the relation of the phonetic traditions with the written traditions among other things.”