This Milwaukee artist hopes to improve understanding of Islam with her gallery exhibit

Milwaukee artist and NAdiaNA art gallery owner Nadia Alkhun has had an unusual journey on her way to the art world.

Alkhun, who is from Jordan, has degrees in biotechnology and genetic engineering from the Jordan University of Science & Technology, but she's always had an interest in art. After graduating with a fine arts degree from UWM in 2022, she and her husband bought the art studio, which opened in March.

For her, it all makes sense, as her identities as a scientist and an artist represent different parts of her whole person, and those parts are wonderfully unified through her art.

At her first solo exhibition this past spring, "Layers of Biospheres," she created abstract paintings and sculptures inspired by biology.

"I created all these kinds of imaginary abstractions that are inspired by the diversity and complexity of biology," Alkhun said. "I wanted to combine these two sides of myself as my way of looking at the universe to show how everything works in harmony."

Starting this weekend, visitors to Alkhun's gallery will see art that reflects another part of her identity — that of a Muslim woman. As she gets ready to open her newest exhibit, "Islamic-Inspired Art" — which includes her artworks and those of seven other artists — here's what Alkhun had to say about her gallery, her art and her artistic journey.

How does your new exhibit, 'Islamic-Inspired Art,' reflect your experiences?

I was born and raised in Jordan, where Islamic art surrounds you; the designs are in the buildings and mosques and even the carpets. I lived with that all around me, and I was all the time inspired by that.

Islam also inspired me to be an independent, strong woman and to have my own art gallery. It's important for me to show the world that Muslim women can be professional women, and to break through some of the stereotypes. I want to show the beautiful message of Islam, that to me it's about creativity, inclusion and a road for mercy.

This exhibit is like an interfaith gallery; people should come check out the art.

What are some of the components of Islamic art?

If we go back to the history of Islamic art, it's influenced by Greek, Roman, Byzantine and Persian art and designs, and it was about taking the idea of these ornamental images and creating a unique Islamic art form.

There are certain important elements of Islamic art. There's calligraphy, like writing nicely in a creative way, and in Islamic art, that's often Quranic verses that are written in calligraphy. There's also vegetal patterns, like taking a flower or plants or vines and having them grow and repeat to cover the whole surface of an artwork. And then there are geometrical shapes that are repeated. You can start with something like a circle and divide it into so many pieces. It's kind of complex, actually. Before you even start your geometrical shapes, you have to do a lot of calculations to create this abstract symmetry.

When all these images are repeated, it kind of shows a form of unity and order, but it also allows for infinite growth and freedom. You start with geometrical shapes, then combine floral and plants and add calligraphy above that. At that point, any surface can be covered. You just expand and expand and expand the patterns.

How are your artworks in the exhibit inspired by Islamic art?

My art in this exhibit is going to be mostly paintings and mixed media. I'm going to be adding a contemporary touch to the classical Islamic art forms.

Most Muslim artists will create a simple background and then do all the designs on top of that. The main focus is supposed to be those designs, not the background.

But, to adapt to more contemporary art, I wanted to create a background that isn't as important as the designs, but is interesting. So I created backgrounds with many colors and also shapes in the backgrounds — not the geometric shapes that are important as part of the design, but more organic shapes to give the background more of an interesting touch. Then, I even intertwined the calligraphy with parts of the background shapes.

When you look at this art, you know it's Islamic art, but there's something unique to it. It's more random and colorful, and it's like I'm connecting my abstract way of looking at the world. I'm happy with this new style.

How are other artists in the exhibit interpreting 'Islamic-inspired?'

There are seven artists in the exhibit other than myself. And half are Muslim and half are non-Muslim because you don't have to be Muslim to be inspired by Islamic art.

I have an artist who does crochet, and those designs remind us of Islamic art designs, like the shapes and floral patterns. And a photographer who was interested in this theme looked up Islamic art and took photographs of Milwaukee buildings that have architecture and designs that are similar to Islamic art. Another artist took photographs and added calligraphy on top. And we have a painter who does calligraphy with textured backgrounds.

I love how the exhibit has a combination of so many ways to look at and experiment with this aesthetic experience that is new for so many of these artists. And I hope for some non-Muslim people who see the art that this might help them understand and feel connected to Islam so they can see that we're all connected.

What's next for your art gallery, and how does it contribute to the community?

I have a call for submissions for my next exhibit up right now, which will be "Ultimate Abstract."

One thing that's important for me about having my own art gallery is that most galleries make you pay a submission fee, and most of the time, you're rejected so that means people might not be able to afford to submit their art in a lot of places. So nobody has to pay a submission fee for my gallery. And you don't have to be a professional artist either. My exhibits are open to submissions from everyone, even if you just do art as a hobby.

Also, we want to give back to the community, so we give a portion of the money that comes from sales of the art pieces to organizations in the community. For the "Islamic-Inspired" exhibit, 10% of the gallery's portion of sales will be donated to the Islamic Society of Milwaukee.

If you go

The "Islamic-Inspired" art exhibit will be at Milwaukee's NAdiaNA Art Gallery, at 1442 N. Franklin Place, Unit 3, from Sept. 2 through Oct. 21. A 2-day opening reception will be held on Sept. 2 and 3 from 4-7 p.m. The gallery will also be open during Gallery Night MKE on Oct. 20 from 4-8 p.m. and Oct. 21 from 5-8 p.m. Outside those times and dates, the gallery is open by appointment. Admission is free.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Milwaukee art gallery will host Islamic-inspired art exhibit