The Flow Of Humanity
by Mehmet DEDE
For somebody who runs a very successful greeting card business, Salma Arastu is anything but a greedy businesswoman. As a matter of fact, the greeting card company is only another outlet where she can use her paintings and calligraphy to serve the needs of Muslim communities in North America, Europe and Japan.
Salma Arastu was born in Rajasthan, India and was educated in fine arts. Born into the Hindu tradition, she later became a Muslim through her marriage and lived in Iran and Kuwait before coming to the US in 1987. In addition to her participation in various major group shows, she exhibited throughout the world including the US, Germany, Kuwait, Iran and India.
Equally influenced by classic Islamic calligraphy as well as Van Gogh and Paul Klee, Salma Arastu portrays laymen [she calls them "the people of Allah"] in a fashion that emanates joy and positive energy. In her calligraphy work, she paints in single strokes with a Pollock-ish sense of freedom, creating a continuous and lyrical line that is influenced by her native culture and her residence in countries like Iran and Kuwait.
You have an amazing collection of paintings, calligraphies and sculptures. What inspires you to do all of this body of work?
My work is directly influenced by my faith and it's energy. Spirituality comes from the core of my heart. This faith has given me energy, inspiration and an uplifting attitude. This is what I want to convey all through my art. It has been my covenant with my God that I want to spread that energy, joy, peace and blessings that He bestowed upon me.
How long have you felt this way?
This feeling has been with me all through my life. Although my mother was not a Muslim, she was a very spiritual person. The motive in my art is to be able to return the joy I get by painting to the person that is looking at my art.
It seems like joy is the underlying theme in your art. Where do you derive the exuberance of joy?
Well, quite simply, from the heart. I don't have to look anywhere else. At the beginning I used to draw inspiration from nature. I was doing these large movements and strokes, it was kind of my tribute to God's vast nature. Gradually I turned to people because I saw so much unhappiness in them. Whenever people looked at my paintings they told me that they felt a positive energy. Each feedback encouraged me to do even more paintings.
A lot of your paintings depict people that don't have any sort of facial expressions. Why is that?
I started doing faceless figures because I didn't want to give them any identity. Many cultures and religions have passed through me. After being born and raised in India, I married a Muslim man and lived in Middle Eastern countries. And for the past 17 years, I have been living in America. I didn't want to separate Allah's creations - they are simply people. I call it "the flow of humanity."
How did you get into doing calligraphy?
I lived in Iran and Kuwait for a while and I was totally amazed by the beauty of the calligraphy. I started copying the figure and just followed the strokes - they are very continuous and lyrical. That's how my figures became more lyrical, almost movement-like.
Through the single stroke of a continuous line I want to bring all kinds of people in the world together.
You also delved into sculptures.
Yes, it was an evolution in my art. I felt like my figures wanted to leave the two-dimensional canvas and jump out to nature again. I started to play with papier mache. But I wasn't able to give them that lyrical feeling, that linearity that is usually in my work. I wanted to emphasize that line again so I started using aluminum. I think my sculptures reflect that energy in the three-dimensional form as well.
Do you consider your work Islamic Art?
My work is worship. I do feel very close to mysticism in Islam. Spirituality is the basis of my inspiration and people feel that. How do you want to define Islamic Art, I am not sure. But for me Islam and Art is the same. I cannot separate Allah from my existence. He is with me each moment and it pours through my art, either in abstract figurative forms or in the shape of Arabic calligraphy.
Salma Arastu will exhibit in Spring 2005 at PENN State University in Redding, PA, Redford University, VA, and Leigh University in Bethlehem, PA.
To find out more about Salma Arastu visit her website at www.salmaarastu.com
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