About Us

NextEraArt is a subsidiary of ObjectDC Inc. a Virginia corporation dedicated to promoting the Arabic calligraphy art worldwide. All current paintings in this website are made by the artist Nawaf Soliman, in the future we plan to acquire other calligraphy artists in different languages and countries.

About Styles

Abstract

The Abstract paintings on this website are made to reflect certain typography elements, whether it’s Arabic lettering or ink strokes imitating other calligraphy techniques from other languages. It appears as Arabic but it can be read from all directions. The main calligraphy style used for the painting is the innovative SpongePen style.

Note: Many of the paintings can be seen virtually in a room as wall images and as a high resolution video showing how it’s written.

Alphabet

The Arabic Alphabets on this website are reflecting some of the beauty of how the Arabic alphabets are written. There are 28 letters – one of the letters is considered to be a letter that exists only in the Arabic language, which is (Daad) and that’s why Arabic is considered to be the language of daad). The calligraphy style used in these paintings are SpongePen and LetterCut.

Note: Many of the paintings can be seen virtually in a room as wall images and as a high resolution video showing how it’s written.

City Names

The name of each city or country in each painting on this website is written in an innovative Arabic calligraphy style such as (LetterCut, SpongePen etc.) Each letter is overlapping and intersecting and colored differently including the formation of each letter – formed and repeated by the number of certain elements that characterize the city.

Note: Many of the paintings can be seen virtually in a room as wall images and as a high resolution video showing how it’s written.

Spirituals

The words and sentences were chosen carefully to reflect positive meanings and are implemented in different calligraphy styles from the modernized traditional calligraphy styles Thuluth, Diwani, and modern styles such as the innovative SpongePen, LetterCut and MetalPen calligraphy styles.

Note: Many of the paintings can be seen virtually in a room as wall images and as a high resolution video showing how it’s written.

Poem

These words were selected from certain well-known poets and their work about life, homeland, names etc. Mostly using SpongPen calligraphy style.

Note: Many of the paintings can be seen virtually in a room as wall images and as a high resolution video showing how it’s written.

Words

The words were chosen carefully to be inspiring and positive, such as peace, love, affection, empathy etc. In different calligraphy styles from the modernized traditional calligraphy styles (Thuluth, Diwani, and modern styles such as the innovative SpongePen, LetterCut and MetalPen.

Note: Many of the paintings can be seen virtually in a room as wall images and as a high resolution video showing how it’s written.

About Custom Work Assignments

Custom work modification or assignments can be equested to create certain calligraphy art for collectors, murals, museums, international entities and cultural institutions and many others. You can select one of the existing paintings and have us customize it as follows:

1. Painting over size request

2. Other mediums such as metal, carved wood or engraved material

3. Colors of Background and letters

4. Specific request with selected words, phrases in specific calligraphy style.

5. Special assignment as mural design and execution method

Each custom work requires time and management, therefore most of the custom work assignments should be communicated ahead of time. We will provide a reasonable estimate that reflects the anticipated hours of creative work and the expected management time involved. We do make sure that each assignment has a project manager to keep the client up to date from start to finish.

Since we provide specific art for specific clients and audiences in many different parts of the world, we are familiar with the different shipping methods and packaging that protects our work.

All custom assignments have to be communicated via email on the Contact Us page or by calling us directly and we will be glad to discuss the request and provide the appropriate solution in terms of style, execution recommendation, estimate and production.

About Arabic Calligraphy

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on Tuesday (December 14, 2021) included Arabic calligraphy in its list of intangible heritage, in addition to 40 traditions from five continents, which it is expected to add to its list this week. UNESCO defines intangible heritage or “living heritage” as “the practices, traditions, knowledge and skills – and associated instruments, objects, artefacts and cultural spaces – that communities, groups, and sometimes individuals recognize as part of their cultural heritage.” Among the most prominent types of “this intangible cultural heritage passed down from generation to generation” are oral traditions, performing arts, social practices, rituals and festive occasions.

The UN organization described Arabic calligraphy, which 16 countries or the majority of their population are Muslims, led by Saudi Arabia, as “the art of writing in Arabic in a smooth way, an expression of the spirituality consistency and beauty.” Countries or groups of countries submitted about 60 nominations, the fate of which will be determined soon. Three-quarters of the requests are expected to be approved by UNESCO. “Arabic calligraphy has been a symbol of the Arab-Islamic world since ancient times,” Abdul Majeed Mahboub, executive director of the Arab Heritage Preservation Society, a non-governmental body involved in the project, told AFP that “many people no longer write by hand due to technological development,” while a significant decline was recorded in the number of specialized calligraphers.

The Secretary of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, Tim Curtis, said that “classifying a cultural practice as intangible cultural heritage requires that it be dynamic … and that it has meaning in people’s lives.” Since the agreement was signed in 2003, nearly 500 traditions have been added to the UN list, the most famous of which are Mexican mariachi music, Finnish saunas, Naples pizza-making and even Thai massage. Other lesser-known traditions on the list include shrimp hunting on horseback in Belgium, which was incorporated in 2013, or hand-weaving in Upper Egypt.

Curtis noted, during a press conference, that inclusion of a tradition in the list of intangible heritage “can generate a feeling of pride and interest in young people, knowing that the preservation of intangible heritage occurs when young people care about it.”