Biography
Walid Agha was born in Damascus in 1953 and graduated from the Department of Visual Communications at the Faculty of Fine Arts, Damascus University, in 1979. He established his own silk-screening workshop and served as a Professor at the Faculty of Fine Arts from 1982 to 1989. His richly textured artworks, created using mixed media on paper, textiles, graphic prints, and stamp reliefs, incorporate delicate Arabic, Sumerian, and Assyrian calligraphy, combined with bold color panels and geometric designs. Agha’s work offers a new approach to calligraphic practices, drawing inspiration from Syria’s cultural history, including Damascene architecture and Sufi traditions.
In addition to his calligraphic art, Agha creates art deco pieces also inspired by calligraphy. His art, often rendered on cloth or acrylic on canvas, features earthy colors and presents an alternative vision of calligraphy, focusing on both words and individual letters as symbols of Syria’s history.
Agha has exhibited internationally, including in Syria, Kuwait, Germany, the UAE, Bahrain, Switzerland, Japan, and the US. Notable exhibitions include the Sharjah Biennale in 1994. His works are part of public collections such as The People’s Palace and the National Museum in Damascus, and Burj Al-Arab in Dubai.
Artwork
