There are no limits when it comes to creativity and the works that are created from a simple thought and the effort that is put into it. The mind works in mysterious ways and each person has his or her own touch in everything they do. Many claim that art is no exception. On the contrary, those among us with a sense of art are special in their own way, finding a comfort zone and serenity through their works. It doesn’t matter what kind of art work the person does, it’s the masterpiece in the artist’s eye created afterwards that makes it all that special. The art boom in Saudi Arabia has exploded in the recent years, with more public awareness of new artists and appreciation for local talent and creative ideas, all manufactured and created by young and brilliant minds.

When a young Saudi IT professional found his comfort zone and started to find his way in the art scene, he was able to carve his way through using the age old method of self learning. From IT to typographer, designer, calligraphy and calligraffiti artist, he is all in one. He is young Saudi with a dream to spread awareness of the value of good art and trying to educate society on the benefits of a good piece of art, specifically traditional works of art. Whether it be a canvas with traditional Farsi scripture or a word designed in calligraffiti, it’s possible to be self taught and create a piece with a significant personal touch, making it special for both the artist and the person receiving the piece.

Shaker Kashgari’s work stands out due to his creativity as well as diversity. At the age of 25, this young Saudi branched out in the art scene after having explored different options to discover himself as an artist. Being intrigued from a young age, Shaker’s method of learning was all old school, books, videos and simple curiosity.

“I was never into art as a young child, had a normal childhood playing games and doing what a normal kid would do. As i grew older, I enrolled into King Abdul Aziz University and graduated, my art sense then appeared and my curiosity peaked. It was from then that I started to seek knowledge. I went online and did a lot of research, bought books, read and read and read, watched videos and practiced, followed up on artists in the field whether it be Arab or international, I just had to expand my knowledge on what the different types of art I wanted to do and found myself good at.”

Young Shaker, fresh out of university then found his comfort zone in creating pieces involving the Arabic alphabet and writing, having learned the different types of calligraphy and experimented with different tools. The tools are usually what gives the artist their signature and to continue with a specific tool, while that piece of art becomes more clear with trial and error, an artist then finds his or her calling. Traditional or common used tools such as bold pens, large markers is always the safe way to go, but it is more fun to get messy with brushes, brooms, cardboard box cutouts, pieces of fabric tied on a stick... The essence of art is experimentation, this way one will find their calling card and perfect it.

“After learning so much about calligraphy, I moved on to calligrafitti, but still stuck to the basics, different scriptures of calligraphy. Then I started to expand my knowledge and wanted to share what I had, I want the younger generation to gain awareness and be conscious of their surroundings and create a piece of art suitable to their taste, create a large canvas and hang it as a poster. Not only will the “poster” be back, but personalized posters are different; personal, gives a sense of accomplishment.”

This young IT graduate from King Abdul Aziz University is an example that there is a sense of art in every one of us, it is not necessary to have so called “art” genes to become one, it is a simple observation that grabs one’s attention and expands their horizons into a mixture of colors and swatches here and there, observation is the key and to become knowledgeable afterwards can direct one into the art world. Self teaching has always been known as old school, but it is a true method of learning, more than schooling can ever be. Trials and errors must take place in order for the learning process to happen. Shaker’s work speaks for him, the lines to create a letter has been done number of times until it reached the level of perfection that suited him.

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Follow Shaker’s journey into exploring his comfort zone on his Instagram account @shakerkashgari

Email: [email protected]