Amman - In the presence of Princess Aliya bint Al Hussein, several princes, foreign diplomats, artists and critics, a retrospective art exhibition titled "Echoes of Memory" opened on Saturday evening at Wadi Finan Gallery on Jabal Amman. The exhibition features a selection of works created by Princess Wijdan Al-Hashimi over the course of her artistic career and will run until 26 November.
اضافة اعلان
Memory and lasting impact
The exhibition includes paintings, calligraphic sculptures and nature drawings executed in different styles and materials, along with other works with a purely Sufi and spiritual character. In her introduction, Princess Wijdan stressed that her artistic vision has always rested on her personal impressions and her understanding of the world. She wrote:
"Memory is not merely a recollection of the past, but a lasting imprint that continues to shape our feelings and our understanding of the world around us. In these works, I try to translate those silent impressions into colour, movement and form.
"Through abstract and calligraphic expression, I seek a visual language that goes beyond words, one that reflects moments of contemplation, serenity, love and spiritual connection. The layers of the paintings and their details carry traces of feelings we have lived and sensed, echoes that remain within us over time.
"For me, art is a space for reflection and discovery, a journey inward where memory meets imagination, and colour becomes a way of expressing what words may fail to say.
"In a world crowded with noise and distraction, I hope these works offer viewers a moment of stillness, reflection and silent beauty."
Richness of style
Princess Wijdan uses a range of techniques in her work, including watercolour and oil painting, as well as pieces made from glass fragments inspired by mosaic art, and calligraphic compositions in Murano glass. These techniques give her works deeper expressive dimensions.
The works in "Echoes of Memory" trace the development of the princess's artistic practice over several decades and her influence by different schools, including Impressionism and modern abstraction. She consistently seeks to capture the spiritual essence of a scene, whether natural or imagined, and to express the spiritual bond that connects people with their surroundings and with their Creator. This is reflected in words that appear in her paintings, such as wajd (ecstasy), wasl (union), hub (love) and Huwa (He), along with other calligraphic compositions that carry spiritual energy while showing the beauty of the Arabic letter.
Her artistic output is also deeply informed by her study of Islamic art and its development over time, and by the special relationship between the visual arts of the Islamic world and the Creator, and the transcendence of material things.
Artist, researcher and diplomat
Princess Wijdan was born in Baghdad and studied art at the American University of Beirut. She earned a doctorate in Islamic art and archaeology from the University of London in 1993. In 1979 she founded the Royal Society of Fine Arts in Jordan and its museum, and in 2001 she became dean of the Faculty of Arts and Design at the University of Jordan.
She also made her mark in diplomacy. She was the first woman to join Jordan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 1962, and the first woman to represent Jordan at United Nations meetings and as a diplomat at the UN General Assembly. She also served as Jordan's ambassador to Italy for five years.
In addition to curating many exhibitions in Jordan and abroad, she has written numerous books on traditional and contemporary Islamic art in Arabic and English. These include Contemporary Art from the Islamic World (1989) and Modern Islamic Art: Development and Continuity (1997). Her best-known work is a series titled Glittering Desert Touches, published in the 1980s. She has also contributed to many other books, served as a visiting professor at universities in Europe, the United States and the Middle East, published numerous research papers in academic journals, and held exhibitions in Jordan and abroad.
