Meditations on Rumi: Salma Arastu's recent exhibition

Meditations on Rumi

Salma Arastu

Background and Current Exhibition

Think Round Fine Arts Online is pleased to present a virtual 3D exhibition experience of Meditations on Rumi, a series of soulful Rumi inspired poem paintings and Sufic series by California-based artist Salma Arastu.

Rumi was a Persian poet from the 13th century and is also referred to as a mystic, an Islamic scholar, a saint, a Maturidi theologian, and an enlightened man. He has become a global influence with the spread of his roughly 30,000 verses which have been said to reflect various stages of his love (Britannica).

Salma’s calligraphic work attempts to celebrate the same message of oneness spread through verses in Arabic calligraphy and in the poetry of Rumi.

Salma Arastu was born in Rajasthan, India where she practiced Sindhi and Hindu traditions and embraced Islam. She earned a degree in Fine Arts from Maharaja Sayajirao University in Baroda, India, worked in Iran and Kuwait, and was exposed to a wealth of Islamic arts and Arabic calligraphy. She eventually moved to the United States in 1986.

“Calligraphy, miniatures, and the folk art of Islam and the Hindu tradition continue to influence my work today.” Expressing the universality of humanity through paintings, sculpture, and calligraphy is how Salma works in order to create a sense of harmony.

“At birth, I was given the life-defining challenge of a left hand without fingers. Seeing the unity of an all-encompassing God, I was able to transcend the barriers often set-forth in the traditions of religion, culture, and the cultural perceptions of handicaps.” Salma has attributed all of her personal triumphs to the principle of faith in The Divine, both in life and through her inspiring work.

Salma’s paintings reveal stories of unity in diversity, peace and joy, celebration of life, women, and whirling dervishes.

Her method is a physical and meditative process that fills each canvas with moving lines and multi-layered textures. For Salma, creating art means getting physically involved with the piece: scratching, sanding, layering materials like paper, rope, paper mâché, or copper plate, and embroidering with pen and ink. Thin layers of acrylic color are applied, and all of the layers seem to bring out subliminal images.

Salma’s work attempts to unite Eastern spirituality and Western techniques of painting learned over the years.

As a visual artist, Salma has had 45 national and international solo shows. She has been awarded the East Bay Community’s Fund for Artists in 2012, 2014, and 2020 and the City of Berkeley’s Individual Artist Grant Award in 2014, 2015, and 2016.

She has written and published five books on her poetry and art, and her work can be seen on display in Bethlehem and within the United States.

Meditations on Rumi is Salma’s second solo exhibition at the Think Round Gallery and will be up for viewing and purchase until March 12, 2021.

Upcoming Online Events

Think Round Fine Arts Online cordially invites you to attend the Meditations on Rumi Opening Reception. Eco-Artist Salma Arastu will be joined by the internationally acclaimed pioneer of the Eco-Art movement Newton Harrison.

The Opening Reception will take place January 23, 4-5 PM PST via Zoom

It is completely FREE to attend!

RSVP with link: linktr.ee/thinkround

Experience the lyrical, calligraphic paintings of Salma Arastu accompanied by her soulful readings of Rumi’s sacred poetry.