Meet Abdullah Yusuf
Abdullah Yusuf is a Qatari visual artist and Arabic calligrapher, with over twenty-five years of experience in Arabic calligraphy.
His work explores the intersection between architecture, geometry, and the Arabic script, especially Kufi styles. In doing so, he reimagines tradition through a contemporary visual language.
I see art as a continuous commitment to learning, practice, and reflection
Key Projects
- Inspired by Khalila wa Dimna (2024) - A series of ten paintings drawn from the fables of Kalila wa Dimna, reading the tales through symbol and composition rather than illustration. Exhibited as part of Source, presented by Al Markhiya Gallery.
- From Canva to carpet (2023) - A collection of six carpets that translate paintings into woven form. The project takes calligraphy and imagery out of the frame and into lived space. Shown at Deen (Al Hosh Gallery, 2025) and Dialogue of Letters: Qatar and China (2025).
- Square Kufic (since 2013) - One of the oldest visual languages of Islamic architecuture, a script built on precision and rigurous mathematical structure. Abdullah made his first Square Kufic works in a printmaking workshop at the Creative Art Center in 2013, and has been exploring the script ever since.
- Midad (est. 2016) - Midad is Arabic for ink. Founded in 2016, the brand draws on Eastern visual traditions, particularly Arabic calligraphy and Islamic ornament. Every piece is handcrafted in limited editions, held to the highest standards of material and craft.
