Syrian-American Artist Fuses East and West


	Artist Kinda Hibrawi (l) discusses her work with admirers at the Palestine Center (Staff Photo B. Awad).

THE PALESTINE Center in Washington, DC hosted the bright work of Syrian-American artist Kinda Hibrawi from Sept. 17 to Nov. 2 in an exhibition entitled “Fusion.” Hibrawi attended the exhibit opening and participated in a question-and-answer session in which she shared her inspirations and motivations.

The collection of new pieces celebrates the beauty of the Arabic language, focusing on the power of words. Hibrawi mixes flowery, flowing images reminiscent of Georgia O’Keeffe’s art with inspirational words written in a modern Arabic calligraphy.

Although born in Syria, Hibrawi has lived much of her life in the United States. “I think it’s really important to represent both cultures in my art,” she explained. “I also think that it’s more important than ever to project a positive image of the Middle East. There’s a reason this exhibit is called ‘Fusion.’ I really try to fuse both worlds. For me, art is always about creating dialogue.”

In such pieces as “The Most Beautiful Names of God”—which contains the 99 names for God found in the Qur’an, all of them flowing in streams of light—and “When You Love Something, You Mention it Often,” Hibrawi invites viewers to understand the Middle East, Islam, and Arabs in a positive light.

“I hope that even if they don’t speak or understand Arabic, viewers will get a special meaning from my pieces,” she said. Asked about her methods and inspiration in creating her art, she replied: “I often have an idea of where I want to go with a painting, but a lot of times a painting takes its own course and I just follow. My inspiration comes from everywhere—it comes from life—and I hope I will continue to evolve as an artist and a human being.”

For more information on Kinda Hibrawi and her art visit her Web page at <www.kindahibrawi.com>.

—Basem Awad