Narjes Noureddine
Narjes Noureddine
Calligrapher | Designer
Calligrapher | Designer
United Arab Emirates
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Narjes Noureddine is an Abu Dhabi-born calligrapher and designer who has devoted her career to Arabic calligraphy since 2000. A graduate with Distinction from both the European International University, Paris (MSc, Graphic and Animation) and Zayed University’s College of Arts and Creative Enterprises (BFA, Interior Design), she brings together rigorous academic training and deep-rooted craft. She received her professional certification in Diwani and Jali Diwani scripts from Master Calligrapher Masaad Khodeir.
Narjes first gained international recognition in 2004 with an award in Jali Diwani at the sixth edition of the IRCICA International Calligraphy Competition in Istanbul, followed by a prize at the International Cultural Festival in Tlemcen, Algeria, in 2011. Since then her work has been exhibited across Europe, Asia, and the Arab world, and has entered the collections of institutions and private collectors in the UAE and internationally.
Her works include pieces of classical calligraphy and contemporary lettering, as well as permanent murals and sculptural metalwork. Among her most significant commissions are the permanent calligraphy inscription Diwan Osha at the Women’s Museum in Dubai (2011); the facade artwork of the General Directorate of Residency and Foreigners Affairs in Dubai (2015); and large-scale works for Emaar’s Boulevard Plaza (2012) and the Central Park Towers at DIFC (2015).
Her collaboration with the Royal Opera House, London, produced a performance drawn from her calligraphic response to the poetry of Sheikh Zayed. She served as curator of Al Owais First Arabic Calligraphy Symposium — The Golden Exhibition (2022), and as a jury member for the Dubai International Calligraphy Biennale (2023). Her works have been acquired by cultural institutions and private collectors in the UAE and abroad. She has participated in international exhibitions in Germany, China, Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Turkey, Lebanon, India, Iran, Iraq, and Russia.
Selected Participations: 2004–2026 — Sharjah International Calligraphy Biennial2026 — Dibba Al Hisn Cultural Festival, Sharjah2025 — International Holy Quran Festival, Tehran2025 — Gulf Art Symposium, 3rd Edition, Bahrain2024 — Guest of Honor, Cairo International Biennial of the Arabic Calligraphy Art, 9th Edition, Egypt”2024 — Russia International Art Symposium, Moscow2024 — Gulf Art Symposium, 2nd Edition, Bahrain2023 — Dubai International Calligraphy Biennale, Dubai2023 — Miraj International Calligraphy Exhibition, Bangalore, India2022 — Al Owais First Calligraphy Symposium — The Golden Exhibition, Dubai2022 — Yeditepe Biennial, Süleymaniye Complex, Istanbul2021 — Elegant Calligraphy & Inspiring Features, Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, Abu Dhabi2021 — Script & Calligraphy: A Timeless Journey, National Museum, Riyadh2019 — Baghdad International Biennial of Arabic Calligraphy, Iraq2019 — AYAAT-4, Gallery Arabesque, DIFC, Dubai2018 — AYAAT-2, Solo Exhibition, Gallery Arabesque, Shangri-La, Dubai2016 — Beautiful World, Solo Exhibition, Cranleigh, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi2015 — Jali Diwani Exhibition, Dubai Arabic Calligraphy Centre, Farjam Gallery, DIFC2014 — Calligraphy Painting, Solo Exhibition, Gallery Naghsh, Isfahan, Iran2011 — International Cultural Festival — Capital of Islamic Culture, Tlemcen, Algeria2005–2019 — Dubai International Arabic Calligraphy Exhibition2002–2011 — Islamic Arts Festival, Sharjah Art Museum
STATEMENTAs a child, I grew up surrounded by my father’s handmade wooden works. The home and everything in it carried the mark of a carpenter’s patience, and that is where my love of craft and detail began.At eight years old, I saw a calligraphy masterpiece that my father brought home from a calligrapher friend. I was captivated. I spent hours studying its strokes, trying to imitate them, and my handwriting changed with them. That was the start of my journey with Arabic calligraphy. In 2000 I joined the Sharjah Calligraphy Institute, and I later travelled to Istanbul (2006) and Tehran (2007) to learn the rules of this great art from its most respected living masters.Arabic calligraphy has always been at the heart of our visual language. We are the nation of the word, and centuries of poetry, wisdom and sacred text have inspired generations of calligraphers to turn spoken meaning into visible beauty. I see my work as a continuation of that effort.I have brought this tradition into the spaces where people live and work. A verse of welcome from His Highness the Ruler of Dubai graces the facade of the Residency and Foreigners Affairs headquarters in Dubai. A poem on the history of Ras Al Khaimah forms a mural at the RAK Investment Authority. LetterFall, a triptych over twelve metres high at Emaar’s Boulevard Plaza, recites the poem “Pride of Generations” for His Highness the Crown Prince of Dubai. And eighteen stainless steel artworks at DIFC’s Central Park Towers carry verses by His Highness the Ruler of Dubai.I have also seen calligraphy move beyond the page. For my collaboration with a creative team from the Royal Opera House, London, I proposed Sheikh Zayed’s poem “How Beautiful This World Is.” The stage design, the costumes and the choreography were all shaped by my dancing letters.My search for new ways to present Arabic calligraphy continues. I am drawn to using calligraphy-derived patterns in other fields. Shining Letters, the chandelier I presented at the Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial in 2016, was an early step in that direction. Sculptural installations have followed, and I hope to create more work that is inventive and moving.
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