Tevfik and Emir Barın, Naïma Ben Ayed, Alara Villa, “When Hüsn-i Hat Learned to Spell in Latin”, panel discussion and workshop
23 November 2024, 16:00
BERLIN, CAUSERIE AND EFFECT, UPCOMING
This panel discussion and workshop explore the intersections between Arabic and Latin scripts. The event delves into the work of calligrapher Emin Barın (1913-1987), who responded to Turkey’s Language Reform by merging Kufic calligraphy with Latin letters. Tevfik and Emir Barın, his son and grandson, will join curator Alara Villa to discuss his practice. They will highlight how calligraphy endured through modern Turkey’s transition from Arabic to Latin script, serving as a form of cultural resilience and self-expression.
In the workshop, led by type and graphic designer Naïma Ben Ayed, participants are invited to experiment with calligraphy and typographic guidelines to discover the connections and possibilities between these two writing systems. Using the historical context of a society adapting to a new alphabet, the workshop provides a space to explore how these lettering traditions can intersect and inform one another.
Curated by Alara Villa in the framework of the programme “Jeunes Commissaires” of the Bureau des arts plastiques of the Institut français. Supported by the French Ministry of Culture and the Franco-German Youth Office (OFAJ/FGYO).
Panel discussion: Free admission
Workshop: 10€. Register here!
Language: English
Duration: 3 hours
Doors open at 15:30. Panel discussion starts at 16:00. Workshop starts at 17:00.
Emin Barın (1913–1987) was a Turkish calligrapher and academic who played a pivotal role in modernizing the art of calligraphy. He trained under calligraphic master Kamil Akdik and studied typography in Germany before establishing Barın Calligraphy and Bookbinding Studio in Istanbul, his workshop, and teaching at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts. Emin is credited with pioneering the integration of Arabic and Latin scripts. Today, the Barın family continues his legacy, revitalizing Barın Han as an independent art space that reopened in 2019.
His work will be presented at the event by his son, Tevfik Barın, and his grandson, Emir Barın.
Naïma Ben Ayed is a French-Tunisian graphic and type designer who grew up in Provence. Her passion lies in exploring the spaces between identities and translating them into design forms and ideas. With a Master’s in 'création typographique' from the Estienne School, she runs an independent practice in London, where Arabic and Latin type design sit at the same desk. Her approach to design is telling stories with letters.
Alara Villa is curator and researcher based in Paris, with a background in Fine Arts and History from Sorbonne University, University of Bologna, and the EHESS. Raised between Italy and Turkey, she focuses on the exchange of visual and material cultures across the Mediterranean region. Her focus extends from historical realities to the production of new knowledge within the accelerated mobilities of the cosmopolis.
Workshop: 10€. Register here!
Language: English
Duration: 3 hours
Doors open at 15:30. Panel discussion starts at 16:00. Workshop starts at 17:00.
Emin Barın (1913–1987) was a Turkish calligrapher and academic who played a pivotal role in modernizing the art of calligraphy. He trained under calligraphic master Kamil Akdik and studied typography in Germany before establishing Barın Calligraphy and Bookbinding Studio in Istanbul, his workshop, and teaching at the Istanbul Academy of Fine Arts. Emin is credited with pioneering the integration of Arabic and Latin scripts. Today, the Barın family continues his legacy, revitalizing Barın Han as an independent art space that reopened in 2019.
His work will be presented at the event by his son, Tevfik Barın, and his grandson, Emir Barın.
Naïma Ben Ayed is a French-Tunisian graphic and type designer who grew up in Provence. Her passion lies in exploring the spaces between identities and translating them into design forms and ideas. With a Master’s in 'création typographique' from the Estienne School, she runs an independent practice in London, where Arabic and Latin type design sit at the same desk. Her approach to design is telling stories with letters.
Alara Villa is curator and researcher based in Paris, with a background in Fine Arts and History from Sorbonne University, University of Bologna, and the EHESS. Raised between Italy and Turkey, she focuses on the exchange of visual and material cultures across the Mediterranean region. Her focus extends from historical realities to the production of new knowledge within the accelerated mobilities of the cosmopolis.