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Soraya Syed

Soraya Syed (b. 1976): British Pioneer of Contemporary Arabic Calligraphy

Early Life and Artistic Awakening in London and Paris

Soraya Syed is a pioneering British calligrapher and multidisciplinary artist born in London in 1976. Exposed to art from an early age, she frequented museums and galleries in London and Paris, where an encounter with Arabic calligraphy at the Victoria and Albert Museum sparked a lifelong fascination with the ancient tradition.

Academic Foundations in Arabic and Traditional Arts

Syed pursued Arabic and the History of Art and Archaeology at SOAS, University of London, before earning an MA in Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts from the Prince’s (now King’s) Foundation School of Traditional Arts. Her academic foundation would become the bedrock of her contemporary approach to classical calligraphy.

Traditional Apprenticeship and the Ijazah in Istanbul

While studying for her postgraduate degree, Syed travelled to Istanbul to apprentice with master calligraphers Efdaluddin Kılıç and Hasan Çelebi. In 2005, she became the first Briton to receive an ijazah (a formal licence to practise Arabic calligraphy) under their mentorship.

Expanding the Language of Calligraphy Through Contemporary Art

Although grounded in tradition, Soraya Syed has since forged a contemporary path, pushing the boundaries of Arabic calligraphy across media such as film, VR, sculpture, animation, and performance. Her practice dismantles the notion that calligraphy must exist in isolation. “From the outset, I didn’t conform to the usual route for a calligrapher,” she said in an interview with Artscoops. “I wanted to share the passion I have for calligraphy far and wide.”

Key Exhibitions and Artistic Installations

Recent exhibitions featuring Syed’s work include:

‘Words to Live By; Words to Live With’, David Parr House, Cambridge (2024)
‘Harmonies of Home: Artistic Threads that Bind Us’, Cromwell Place, London (2024)
‘Sound & Silence’, immersive exhibition at the Coronet Theatre for Shubbak Festival, London (2023)
‘Making Paradise’, Aga Khan Centre Gallery, London (2021–2022)

Her Meşk piece was shown opposite Grayson Perry’s work in the David Parr House show, highlighting her growing presence in contemporary British art.

Film Projects, Public Commissions, and Collaborations

Syed’s work extends into cinematic and institutional commissions:

Majnun (2019), a narrative short film combining calligraphy, poetry and dance
The Colour of Ink (2022), a documentary spotlighting Toronto-based ink-maker Jason S. Logan
Google: Soraya’s Story (2018), a short documentary on her journey from tradition to innovation

She has also created major public commissions, including:

A Diwani-script crown for the Royal Shakespeare Company (2016)
Square Kufic tilework for the New Cambridge Mosque (2019)
British Museum gift merchandise for ‘Hajj: Journey to the Heart of Islam’ (2012)

Legacy and Impact on Contemporary Islamic Art

Soraya Syed has brought Arabic calligraphy into global conversations about contemporary art. Her work is celebrated not only for its technical mastery, but for its capacity to transcend boundaries of tradition and reimagine the written word as movement, sound, and space. Professor Sussan Babaie of The Courtauld Institute of Art describes her as someone who “deploys every capacity in her body and soul… between sound and silence, between movement and meaning.”

Syed currently works from her studio in West London and continues to innovate across disciplines and cultures.