2024 · Doha
Bentley Motors
Live calligraphy on a Bentley at the Amir Sword International Equestrian Festival, in collaboration with Al Shaqab and Bentley Motors. The video has been seen more than 30 million times.
Flourish 2027 Faculty
Kareem
The reed pen. The dancing line. Letters with rhythm, balance and grace.
Calligrapher and lettering artist Kareem brings together traditional calligraphic foundations with contemporary composition, exploring the expressive possibilities of Persian and Arabic script.
His line has appeared across the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 and on a Bentley.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022Bentley MotorsAC Milan
Beyond the Latin alphabet
Every line has a purpose. Every curve is in proportion. Nothing is decoration for its own sake. That is the quiet discipline behind the Persian and Arabic scripts, and it is what makes them so breathtaking.
Meet Kareem
Tradition, composed.
Kareem, known around the world as Kareemgraphy, is celebrated for his distinctive approach to Arabic and Latin letterforms. His work brings together traditional calligraphic foundations with contemporary composition, exploring rhythm, balance, and the expressive possibilities of the written word.
He works with the flowing, dancing forms of Persian and Arabic script. Based in Doha, he has been practising since 1996, including years as a calligrapher in Madinah, and teaches Arabic-Persian composition to students of Calligraphy Classes.
At Flourish 2027, he opens the door to a script many calligraphers have admired for years and never quite known where to begin.
RhythmLetters that move
BalanceEvery stroke in proportion
CompositionWords as a whole design
Selected work
From the World Cup to a Bentley.
2022 · Qatar
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022
Eleven murals across Doha, the calligraphic title for the official song “Ezz Al Arab”, and seventeen days of live calligraphy in fan zones and stadiums.
2024 · Dubai
AC Milan at the Dubai World Cup
A horse installation built from 187 AC Milan jerseys across an eight-by-eight-metre display.
Kareem’s Workshops
Two workshops. Two days each.
October 14 & 15
Workshop One · October 14 & 15, 2027
The Dancing Reed
Variations in Persian Script
Beginner friendly
Pick up the reed pen and discover the flowing, dancing forms of Persian script. Over two days, Kareem introduces the strokes, proportions and variations that give these letters their extraordinary grace, at a pace made for brand-new hands.
If you’ve ever wanted to try a script beyond the Latin alphabet, start here.
Register for Flourish 2027
October 16 & 17
Workshop Two · October 16 & 17, 2027
Ink in Motion
Composing with Arabic & Persian Letters
All levels
Letters are only the beginning. Discover how words, negative space, scale and movement work together in the Arabic-Persian tradition to create compositions far greater than the letterforms alone.
Two days to stop writing letters and start designing with them.
Register for Flourish 2027Flourish 2027 · Calgary
Four days with Kareem. A whole new alphabet.
Take one workshop, or both: start with the reed pen and Persian script, then spend two days composing with Arabic and Persian letters.
Register for the festival, and you’ll get a link to choose your workshops right after you pay.