The University of Louisiana at Lafayette welcomed visiting artist Doris Bittar to campus this week.
Bittar, an Arab-American, is a multi-disciplinary artist who combines history and design. Her media include paintings, photographs, map collages made from envelopes and installations that combine sculpture and music.
"She sees patterns as cultural DNA," said Renate Dohmen, an assistant professor of visual arts who invited Dohmen to UL Lafayette. "Her work is relevant to painters, 3-D graphic artists, photographers and others." Dohmen teaches art history, including a course on Islamic art.
Bittar gave two talks on campus, which were open to students and the public.
On Wednesday, she presented "Inside Arabic Calligraphy: from Alef to Zaha." Alef refers to the first letter of the Arabic alphabet, Zaha to Zaha Hadid, an award-winning Iraqi-British architect who incorporates flowing lines — like those in Arabic calligraphy — in contemporary designs. She discussed how a spatial "reading" of Arabic calligraphy has influenced artists and architects, including Hadid.
On Thursday, she talked about her own work in a presentation called "Doris Bittar: Core Patterns."
Bittar teaches at California State University, San Marcos. She holds a bachelor's degree in fine arts from State University of New York at Purchase and a master's degree in fine arts from the University of California, San Diego. Her work is represented by galleries in California, Switzerland and Jordan. She has participated in exhibitions in the Middle East, Europe and the United States.
Contact: communications@louisiana.edu