Antonella Leoni (Italia, 1959) The Healer Hwa Allah, 2023 Papyrus 186 x 89.5 cm

Antonella Leoni (Italia, 1959) The Healer Hwa Allah, 2023 Papyrus 186 x 89.5 cm
Antonella Leoni is an Italian artist and a master calligrapher. She has lived in several countries, where she has also exhibited her works in solo and group exhibitions. The artist currently divides her time between Egypt and Italy.
Leoni led her studies in London and Milan and in 2019 she obtained the prestigious Diploma in the Art of Arabic Calligraphy and Ornaments at the Academy Khalil Agha in Cairo, making her the first European artist to receive such an important title in the history of the academy. In 2018 she was among the guests of honour at the International Biennale of Arabic Calligraphy in Cairo, where she exhibited three of her most significant artworks, and in 2022 she was invited to display ten of them at the Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial.
In her practice, the artist usually starts from a large sheet of papyrus, which is then manipulated with the technique of marbling in order to create a unique pattern.
In ‘The Healer Hwa Allah’, there are two Arabic words, respectively Hwa (Arabic, ‘he’), and ‘Al-shafi’ (Arabic, the healer). The two words are inserted among honeycombs and bees, which along with the rich decoration of the background form a sort of horror vacui, a typical element coming from the traditional art. Leoni chose to represent the hyperactivity of the bees in the production of honey in order to symbolise the healing gift given to humanity by the one God. Provenance: The artist.