Fatima Azzahrae Chaabani

Fatima Azzahrae Chaabani is a visual artist who specialises in Islamic Illumination. With a profound passion for the power, symbolism and diversity of the art of Quran Manuscript Illumination, she adopts a cross cultural approach featuring the historical and regional characteristics and variations to maintain the spirit of the different illumination traditions including the Ottoman, the Moorish, the Persian and the Chinese.

Her paintings are inspired by the Quranic symbols of perfection and infinitude such as the solar roundel and the palmette, which she paints using genuine gold leaf and hand-ground natural pigments.

Fatima Azzahrae holds a Master’s degree in Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts from the Prince’s Foundation School of Traditional Arts in London. She is trained in both Islamic and Mediaeval techniques of gold Illumination.

She is an apprentice of Ottoman Illumination, under the tutorage of the prominent master Ayten Tiryaki, channelling a long line of master-apprentice transfer of traditional knowledge and skills. Her artworks were exhibited in Morocco, the UK, Turkey and China.

Prior to graduating in 2018, Fatima Azzahrae had significant academic and work experiences in prestigious institutions including Yale University and Qatar Foundation. In 2015, she had her first active encounters with Islamic Arts as she joined the Community Classes in the VCU in Qatar. Enamoured of Islamic Arts, she then resigned from her job, and started a new journey as an avid art student.