Faouzia Hilmy, Calligraphy Artist
Faouzia Hilmy is a French-Moroccan calligraphy artist, born in Toulouse.
She works between Paris, Rabat and Abu Dhabi.
She creates works on paper where Arabic calligraphy becomes a universal language of peace and brotherhood.
Her creations are available in the boutiques of the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Arab World Institute.
She collaborates with luxury brands such as Armani, as well as prestigious hotels such as the Waldorf Astoria Rabat.
For 20 years, Faouzia Hilmy has been developing artistic research around contemporary Arabic calligraphy.
Faouzia Hilmy,Calligraphy Artist
Faouzia Hilmy is a French-Moroccan calligraphy artist, born in Toulouse.
She works between Paris, Rabat and Abu Dhabi.
She creates works on paper where Arabic calligraphy becomes a universal language of peace and brotherhood.
Her creations are available in the boutiques of the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the Arab Wold Institute.
She collaborates with luxury brands such as Armani, as well as prestigious hotels such as the Waldorf Astoria Rabat.
For 20 years, Faouzia Hilmy has been developing artistic research around contemporary Arabic calligraphy.
French-Moroccan artist, born in the south of France, in Toulouse
After I got a masters in marketing in Paris, I couldn’t find my direction in life and I spent many years searching for it. When I was 30, I went to the USA, because i wanted to discover America…
One day, while I was sitting on a bench opposite San Francisco Bay, I felt moved to pray: ‘Please help me find my way’. I prayed so hard that my prayer was answered. When I went back to France a miracle happened.
I was in a cafe when I saw an ad for Arabic calligraphy courses by a Syrian calligrapher. The next day I took my first lesson.
It turned out to be a revelation for me ! I was fascinated by the letters, with their complex yet harmonious forms . They reminded me of the Arabic lessons I had taken as a child and as a teenager.
I decided to drop everything and devotes all of my time and energy to learning arabic calligraphy.
From then on, the passion for this ancestral art will never leave me
In 2006, I launched a blog and website to showcase my early compositions while completing my training with courses in western calligraphy.
It was successful; individuals and well-known brands started contacting me.
I began exhibiting in Toulouse and Paris before going to other countries : Egypt, Mauritius, Morocco, Dubai…
I have been doing this wonderful job for 18 years now.
I collaborate with luxury brands like Hermes and Armani and my paintings decorates prestigious hotels in Middle East and Morocco.
My calligraphies are available in the Boutiques of Louvre Abu Dhabi and Institut du Monde Arabe.
I share my life between Paris, Rabat and Dubai.
What inspire me
I have always been fascinated by the beauty of Arabic letters.
When I started to learn to read and write Arabic at the age of 6, in Toulouse, after school, I was attracted by the shapes of the Arabic letters, so particular, so harmonious.
This admiration became a real passion when, much later, I started to learn Arabic calligraphy and then European calligraphy.
My calligraphies, with their sober style, are a way for me to express this fascination and to highlight these ancestral letters.
In my eyes, the aesthetics of these letters is as important as their meaning.
I am at one with the kalam which glides over the paper and becomes an extension of my hand.
For me, calligraphy is a bridge between cultures and a way to express a message of peace and brotherhood.
” Unite souls throught the beauty of letters “