Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery?
Salam, I don't like to do this, but I guess I have to so that people know that this isn't right and it affects people who are trying to do unique work and make strong efforts to help the artist community. We believe in healthy competition, we do not fear it, what we do not like is poor imitations of work that not only looks bad on the artist but also confuses people.
For quite a while now, me and Mohammad Ali of AerosolArabic, have had to talk to a number of people who are using language (e.g. 'Aerosol Arabic', which I think is trademarked by br. Ali) that conflict with ours and also total copies of our work on their websites. We dont tend to publicise this, as we prefer to give everyone a chance to respond or rectify any infringement. We also believe that damaging someone elses potential business isn't a good thing and people learn and do make mistakes.
We could go into the complexities of copyright in Islam etc and some would be for and against it. But what I believe in, is that people should strive to be original, aim for high quality and unique work in whaterver they do and credit each other with respect.
A current case is of an online art store (name not shown to avoid hurting their business/artist reputation) who have a piece entitled 'Sabr', as you can see below it doesn't take a genius to realise that this is a direct imitation of the Visual Dhikr Sabr piece (accept for some changes, patterns).
(top: Sabr by artist 'SA' [name hidden], bottom: original Sabr by 'Visual Dhikr')
I produced this Sabr piece with no imitation from any traditional pieces or from any other artist. In fact, the piece has a distinctive narrow canvas and the lettering is cropped at the top and bottom slightly (touching edges). For another artist to coincidently have the same composition is rather miraculous.
Now I have no issues with people using traditional compositions of calligraphy, as many do with a lot of Basmalah's for all sorts. But I don't think it is wise to borrow compositions directly from living artists with little or no change (even if it is made/painted differently).
This is a message from Brother Mohammad Ali of the acclaimed AerosolArabic and this is what he had to say:
"I was informed by my brother Ruh al-'Alam, about this recent image which bears a striking resemblance to one of his own original pieces of art. This is not the first time, I have come across many examples of when artists have done so. I havn't commented on this before, but I thought today, I would support my brother in this, as I feel strongly that if we want to move forward, this is not the way to go about it. So this is advise for myself as well as my brothers and sisters.
I would like to echo the words of Ruh al-'Alam, and I believe, that this does not help the "scene." Rather than developing it, it in fact, dillutes it. I am all for people being inspired by other artists and its very refreshing to see someone take something of yours and move 10 steps forward in developing it andtransforming it into something unique. But when you see carbon copies of a concept, a style, just duplicated with no development, it is very disheartening to see.
I often wonder, this 'Islamic' art - shouldn't these artists, more than any other artist, have a conscience, with a desire to be fair and just with their fellow brothers/sisters?
Myself as an artist, i know, if for one second, had an image which bears too much resemblance to another, I would go out of my way to make sure the line is not blurred, and ensure there is no danger of anyone confusing me with another. This is also, perhaps stemming from my visual/branding background, the desire to create a standalone brand, which stands on its own two feet, with no blurring of the lines. Many a time people, have said to me, "I assumed, that art was yours, because its identical to yours."
Lets make our "islamic art scene" fresh and innovative, and not duplication upon duplication. Lets make it so, that If i am going to take a concept, how am i going to push the boundaries even further.
This is innovation, this is how we are going to move forward insha'allah."
Mohammed Ali
AerosolArabic
Urban Islamic Art
---
Wise words, from somebody who has dedicated themselves to using his art to further unity and understanding between people and faiths, not to mention outstanding youth work!
I wish to simply clarify that the above piece in question is an imitation of an original piece and I hope people recognise the original work.
The online store has responded promptly, but the dispute is still open with artist (ignore previous statement about the online store, as we did not provide them enough time to respond, they have been helpful and are not responsible for the artwork itself, which is produced by a third party). I wish all the best for 'SA' and the store, and hope that we have not said anything to offend anybody and ask for your forgiveness and sincere nasiha.
wa Allahu a'lam
Ruh al-'Alam ('abd Allah)
Visual Dhikr
Visual Islamic Art
Let us know your thoughts and leave comments
For quite a while now, me and Mohammad Ali of AerosolArabic, have had to talk to a number of people who are using language (e.g. 'Aerosol Arabic', which I think is trademarked by br. Ali) that conflict with ours and also total copies of our work on their websites. We dont tend to publicise this, as we prefer to give everyone a chance to respond or rectify any infringement. We also believe that damaging someone elses potential business isn't a good thing and people learn and do make mistakes.
We could go into the complexities of copyright in Islam etc and some would be for and against it. But what I believe in, is that people should strive to be original, aim for high quality and unique work in whaterver they do and credit each other with respect.
A current case is of an online art store (name not shown to avoid hurting their business/artist reputation) who have a piece entitled 'Sabr', as you can see below it doesn't take a genius to realise that this is a direct imitation of the Visual Dhikr Sabr piece (accept for some changes, patterns).
(top: Sabr by artist 'SA' [name hidden], bottom: original Sabr by 'Visual Dhikr')
I produced this Sabr piece with no imitation from any traditional pieces or from any other artist. In fact, the piece has a distinctive narrow canvas and the lettering is cropped at the top and bottom slightly (touching edges). For another artist to coincidently have the same composition is rather miraculous.
Now I have no issues with people using traditional compositions of calligraphy, as many do with a lot of Basmalah's for all sorts. But I don't think it is wise to borrow compositions directly from living artists with little or no change (even if it is made/painted differently).
This is a message from Brother Mohammad Ali of the acclaimed AerosolArabic and this is what he had to say:
"I was informed by my brother Ruh al-'Alam, about this recent image which bears a striking resemblance to one of his own original pieces of art. This is not the first time, I have come across many examples of when artists have done so. I havn't commented on this before, but I thought today, I would support my brother in this, as I feel strongly that if we want to move forward, this is not the way to go about it. So this is advise for myself as well as my brothers and sisters.
I would like to echo the words of Ruh al-'Alam, and I believe, that this does not help the "scene." Rather than developing it, it in fact, dillutes it. I am all for people being inspired by other artists and its very refreshing to see someone take something of yours and move 10 steps forward in developing it andtransforming it into something unique. But when you see carbon copies of a concept, a style, just duplicated with no development, it is very disheartening to see.
I often wonder, this 'Islamic' art - shouldn't these artists, more than any other artist, have a conscience, with a desire to be fair and just with their fellow brothers/sisters?
Myself as an artist, i know, if for one second, had an image which bears too much resemblance to another, I would go out of my way to make sure the line is not blurred, and ensure there is no danger of anyone confusing me with another. This is also, perhaps stemming from my visual/branding background, the desire to create a standalone brand, which stands on its own two feet, with no blurring of the lines. Many a time people, have said to me, "I assumed, that art was yours, because its identical to yours."
Lets make our "islamic art scene" fresh and innovative, and not duplication upon duplication. Lets make it so, that If i am going to take a concept, how am i going to push the boundaries even further.
This is innovation, this is how we are going to move forward insha'allah."
Mohammed Ali
AerosolArabic
Urban Islamic Art
---
Wise words, from somebody who has dedicated themselves to using his art to further unity and understanding between people and faiths, not to mention outstanding youth work!
I wish to simply clarify that the above piece in question is an imitation of an original piece and I hope people recognise the original work.
The online store has responded promptly, but the dispute is still open with artist (ignore previous statement about the online store, as we did not provide them enough time to respond, they have been helpful and are not responsible for the artwork itself, which is produced by a third party). I wish all the best for 'SA' and the store, and hope that we have not said anything to offend anybody and ask for your forgiveness and sincere nasiha.
wa Allahu a'lam
Ruh al-'Alam ('abd Allah)
Visual Dhikr
Visual Islamic Art
Let us know your thoughts and leave comments
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Tuesday, May 20, 2008 at 2:33 PM.
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