Nja Mahdaoui, plasticien du signe: Discussion menée par Rose-Marie Ferré

Associate Professor of Medieval Art History and Head of the Department of Archaeology and Art History at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi. She also leads the Master’s programme in Expertise and the Art Market. Her research spans medieval artistic patronage, iconography, and cultural transmission, as well as modern and contemporary art in the Arab world, particularly collecting practices in the UAE. Dr. Ferré frequently collaborates with artists and cultural institutions on research and curatorial projects.

Nja Mahdaoui is a pioneering Tunisian visual artist whose work has defined the field of calligraphic abstraction. Often described as a “choreographer of letters,” his practice liberates the Arabic script from linguistic meaning, transforming it into a visual, rhythmic, and poetic form. By emphasising gesture and morphology, Mahdaoui opens new aesthetic worlds that transcend cultural boundaries and invite viewers into intuitive, sensory encounters.

His career spans more than six decades and encompasses a wide range of media, from vellum, papyrus, and canvas to textiles, sculpture, glass, and monumental public installations. Whether through intimate works on parchment or large-scale commissions for airports, mosques, and institutions worldwide, his art explores the infinite expressive potential of the letter as pure form.

Mahdaoui’s works have been exhibited internationally and are held in major collections including the British Museum, the Smithsonian Institution, Institut du Monde Arabe, Mathaf: Arab Museum of Modern Art, and the Sharjah Art Foundation. His influence continues to resonate across generations, positioning him as one of the most significant figures of Arab modern art.