Calligraphy workshop with guided tour

Discover Escher and Arabic calligraphy

On Saturday 31 May, Escher in The Palace presents a special tour of the museum and a calligraphy workshop. Guided by artist Qasim Arif, you will visit the Escher exhibition and together you will study a number of Escher's prints in detail. Influences from Islamic art and culture can be found in Escher's work; a major source of inspiration were his visits to the Alhambra in the Spanish city of Granada. This Spanish-Islamic fortress and palace complex is filled with all kinds of mosaics with abstract motifs, which Escher eagerly copied and thus made his own. These drawing sessions form an important basis for his tessellations: these are motifs whose outer lines connect seamlessly on all sides, allowing the pattern to continue endlessly. This subject continued to fascinate him throughout his life and will also feature in the tour.

After this tour of the museum, you will head to the studio, where you will create your own calligraphy artwork under Qasim's guidance. In his own work, Qasim uses a contemporary approach to calligraphy and typography, influenced by classical Arabic scripts and graffiti/street art. He is rooted in The Hague and has previously worked with brands like Nike, Google and Daily Paper. Earlier this year, he co-curated an event at Escher in The Palace around Escher and Islamic art.