The Shape of Meaning

Jabra Mitwasi
1 April – 30 April

The Shape of Meaning explores the emotional and cultural weight of language through contemporary Arabic calligraphy. Palestinian artist

Jabra Mitwasi blends traditional scripts with abstraction, color, and texture, creating paintings and mixed media pieces that speak across borders and identities.

Rooted in memory and presence, Mitwasi’s practice uses script as both a visual element and a vessel for heritage, identity, and preservation. The exhibition invites viewers to engage with language beyond its literal meaning, deconstructing and reassembling words into new forms.

Rooted in both Eastern and Western traditions, the exhibition reflects Mitwasi’s ongoing journey as an artist and cultural practitioner. It also offers an invitation to connect across languages, disciplines, and lived experiences. The Shape of Meaning is born from recent residencies at local artist studios and the Tett Centre, continuing the exploration of calligraphy as a timeless form of expression.

The exhibition also bridges the analog and digital by integrating augmented reality into one painting, deepening the viewer’s connection with the work through motion, sound, and interactivity.

About the Artist

Jabra Mitwasi is a Palestinian visual artist and designer whose work bridges heritage and contemporary expression. Trained in traditional Arabic calligraphy and design, Mitwasi’s practice explores the expressive potential of letterforms in today’s visual discourse. His career spans over two decades of teaching, design, and artistic production, beginning in Bethlehem with a deep interest in calligraphy, sacred art, and community-led design.

Mitwasi holds a Master of Arts in Design (with distinction) from the University of Sunderland, UK. His work includes acrylic painting, video installation, sculpture, and icon painting in Byzantine and Jerusalem traditions. Now based in Kingston, Ontario, he continues to push the boundaries of Arabic calligraphy through abstraction and modern design sensibilities.

Mitwasi brings a distinct visual voice shaped by his lived experience in Palestine and his immersion in both Eastern and Western artistic traditions. His work often responds to themes of identity, spirituality, language, and place, creating space for cultural narratives that are often marginalized or misunderstood. His work was featured in Martello Alley's Froid’Art and he was an artist-in-residence at the Tett Centre for Creativity and Learning in 2025.