Silver Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design · 2021
Shany Abdallah Naji Experimental
by Shany Dvora
- A' Design Award 2021 Silver Winner in Graphics, Illustration and Visual Communication Design
- Awarded April 15, 2021
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 36,379
- Verification code 2A91866F15 · Verify this award
About Shany Abdallah Naji Experimental
Shany Abdallah Naji is a series of graphic works that revives a family naming tradition. The tradition, which ended when the family moved from Iraq to Israel, gave a newborn a first name followed by the names of the father and the grandfather. The series was created after old family immigration papers were found. Five mixed media works, four measuring 50 by 70 centimetres and one measuring 75 by 70 centimetres, weave imagery into Hebrew calligraphy inspired by Hebrew manuscripts from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco made between the 12th and 15th centuries.
Drawing upon traditions of calligraphic experimentation that have flourished across cultures where script serves both communicative and aesthetic functions, this visual work appears to engage with questions of perception, identity, and the relationship between text and image that have preoccupied artists working at the intersection of graphic design and fine art. The composition achieves a remarkable synthesis of seemingly disparate elements: the flowing curves and decisive strokes characteristic of Arabic calligraphic traditions merge with fragmented photographic imagery to create a form that is neither purely typographic nor strictly pictorial. One might observe how the strategic placement of human eyes within and through the letterforms transforms the act of reading into an act of being seen, suggesting perhaps that written language itself possesses a kind of vision or awareness. The technical execution demonstrates considerable sophistication in balancing the graphic weight of the black forms against the luminous ground while integrating photographic elements that maintain their own tonal integrity without disrupting the overall compositional harmony. The vertical arrangement recalls traditional manuscript formats while the fragmented, scattered distribution of elements speaks to contemporary sensibilities regarding discontinuity and multiplicity of meaning. The eyes themselves, rendered with sufficient detail to convey individual humanity yet abstracted from complete faces, invite contemplation of themes relating to observation, identity, and the mutual exchange between viewer and viewed. This work seems to propose that script, particularly script rooted in rich aesthetic traditions, functions as more than a vehicle for linguistic meaning but as a space of encounter, a threshold where human presence emerges through the very marks designed to represent language. Viewers might consider how their own act of looking is reflected and complicated by the multiple gazes that meet them from within this typographic architecture.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Shany Abdalla Naji is a series of Graphic works attempting to revive the name giving tradition in the designer’s family.
This tradition that broke upon arriving to Israel from Iraq, consists of naming a new born and adding the names of his father and grandfather. Dvora learned all this recently after finding her family's immigration papers. This discovery left her excited thinking names can encompass within them the changes of tradition and culture and it made her question how her own name fits in her family’s ancestry - Dimensions & Packaging
- 4 works 50*70 cm
1 work 75*70 cm - Tags
- Calligraphy, Typography, Hebrew, Eastern
- Production Technology
- Mixed Media
- Design Challenge
- -
- Project Duration
- 2018-2019, Israel
- Operation Flow
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- Research
- For ages, the Middle East has been a meeting point for eastern and western cultures. This region has seen empires rise and fall, ever changing borders and frequent migrations of people looking for a fresh start. But not only the people journeyed across the land, with them came their family history, their stories, ideas, ideals and traditions.
This is the story of Dvora’s grandmother - Juliette Abdallah Moshe.
Juliette immigrated to Israel from Iraq in 1951 with her husband and three young sons. Her birth given name, Juliette Abdallah Moshe, as were the names of her ancestors, consisted of her first name followed by the names of her father and grandfather. When she arrived in Israel her name was changed to “Juliette Dvora” as part of the process of integration. Thus, the tradition linking the children’s names to those of their ancestors was broken. Dvora learned all this only in recent years after finding her grandmother’s original immigration papers. This discovery left her very excited thinking that a name of a man can encompass within it the changes of tradition and culture as it consists of the names of the previous family generations. The excitement was followed by a few questions though. Why is Shany’s name so different from the traditional and deeply rooted names in her family’s ancestry? Where and how does her name fit in there?
In this project She seeks to revive the name giving tradition that still lived on in the time of her grandmother’s birth. She does so through imagery woven into Hebrew calligraphy inspired by 12th-15th century Hebrew manuscripts from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco - Inspiration
- In this project Dvora seeks to revive the name giving tradition that still lived on in the time of her grandmother’s birth. She does so through imagery woven into Hebrew calligraphy inspired by 12th-15th century Hebrew manuscripts from Iraq, Yemen and Morocco
- Image Credits
- Shany Dvora
- Patents
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Colors of Shany Abdallah Naji Experimental
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Hebrew Calligraphy and Cultural Heritage Art
We create meaningful visual narratives through Hebrew calligraphy and mixed media art. Drawing from ancient manuscripts and personal histories, our custom artworks weave together tradition and contemporary expression, helping clients honor their heritage through powerful visual storytelling.
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