ernesta caviola
the calligraphist
large format photographs
8 december - 14 december 2006
Whitecross Gallery is pleased to present the work of Italy based architect and artist Ernesta Caviola in the show entitled
The Calligraphist' an exhibition of large format photography that portrays an intimate view of an Istanbul interior, capturing the point where mysticism and calligraphy meet in the art of the written word.
Fuat Basar teaches handwriting and practises "Ebru", the ancient art of writing on water, in the Küēük Ayasofya neighbourhood of Istanbul. Dozens of men and women from all kinds of backgrounds and professions come to his office every day. Policemen and school teachers, lawyers and architects, who sit beside the calligraphist, drink a cup of tea and engage in theological discussions over one single character, practising mysticism through a single sign that becomes a measure of the world.
Ebru stands for "cloud"; the word has Persian roots and refers to the transience of its forms.
Its inscription, written on the surface of a dense liquid composed of animal bile, comes to light through a carefully executed gesture; the paper, raised by what is almost a dance step, is left to dry on racks for days. Ebru and calligraphy have always been interwoven, the one being ground in the other.
Known in Europe as Turkish paper, Ebru are what bibliophiles have dreamt of finding in the inner binding of their books ever since the 18th century. The Maestro creates abstract structures or flowers suspended in hypnotic en abīme patterns, as part of an art form still little known in Europe. Fuat Basar, a delicate but staunch mystic considered in Turkey to be the greatest living calligrapher, studied medicine and believes that this helps his handwriting skills and superb Ebru.
