Adonis and his attempt at reconciling civilizations

In these days, If ever Adonis alias Ali Ahmed Said is mentioned, we automatically think of the extent of suitability or accordance between Arab thought derived from the Arab cultural heritage and modern Western thinking which is constantly evolving and shaping the general human mind.

Ideas inherited from old civilizations became obsolete and out of touch with the daily changing life of modern man. The gap was widening between Arab and Western civilizations all through the last 200 years. This was evident starting with the advent of Napoleon's expedition on Arab Mediterranean shores facing Europe and ending with the European colonialism to the Arab Nation which resulted in contradictions and perturbation of thoughts and conceptions.

I do not think that any Arab contemporary thinker or intellectual could compete with Adonis in expressing loud and clear what the reconciliation of civilizations is all about in the same language which translates the Artist's thought and ideas and within the same framework which defines his intellectual and artistic perspective. For the past half a century, Adonis appears as strikingly unique with respect to his depth, insight, multi-faceted universal culture and as such is able to shine as a reflection of this interesting facet of the Arabic culture which carries a great potential to reach out to other contemporary modern civilizations. As such, through his work Adonis is able to defy western intellectual misconceptions about the dominance of dark and obscure areas on the Arab cultural heritage scene. As such, Adonis is able to demonstrate the capabilities of this culture to evolve, to comprehend, and to reach out to other cultures so as to contribute to enriching and enhancing modern contemporary civilization.

It is clear that Adonis is different from the majority of his contemporary Arab thinkers as most of them are not willing to give and take when it comes to the reconciliation of different cultures.

Arab intellectuals can be divided into two camps: Those who are totally infatuated with western culture and will try to imitate it blindly going by the popular Syro-Lebanese saying: All that is foreign is of superior quality! The other camp is, on the contrary, opposed to everything foreign and in conflict to it because they consider it as the work of the devil. This will not, however prevent them from depending on the west and its technological advancement for their livelihood.

This is where Adonis comes into the scene, mainly as the mediator, the one who is capable of bringing together civilizations, the one who introduces Arabic culture to the West and Western culture to the Arabs. Armed with insight and discernment, he is well aware of the advantages and disadvantages of each culture. The Artist will try to accommodate together the two cultures in a scientific, realistic, unbiased, and objective manner devoid of any influences from traditions and religious convictions. Through his writings and his presentations, one realizes how important is his role in rejecting the clashes between civilizations and in harmonizing the relationship between the two cultures. 
It is fortunate to find that a large number of Arab and western intellectuals realize that Adonis has paved the way for this tendency to reconcile the different cultures and to nurture this line of thought which makes of him a highly esteemed thinker praised for his strong convictions in thought and in action, his perseverance in the pursuit of his goal in the most familiar uncomplicated manner with respect to language, style, performance and presentation.

Through this event organized by Hunar Gallery in Dubai in honor of Adonis, another aspect of the Artist's thought is revealed through Art; the art of the reflection of script and the painting with words. Through his artistic production, the artist reveals himself more as an innovator than a skillful imitator as a result of his close interaction with foreign contemporary cultures and modern artistic trends. Both qualifications, creativity and conformity are sought and praised in any artistic work.

Adonis in a contemplative manner draws his letters and chooses the lines which express the most the personality of the author of the chosen script. Through these paintings exposed in the gallery, the artist is also seeking certain recognition for himself along with the author of his lines. He is in other words delivering the message that amid his involvement with humanity's concerns around the world, he still finds time for privacy and seclusion to be able to express and reveal all that goes in his mind through this special form of art which is at the top of the modern contemporary artistic expression and tendency.

Abdul Gaffar Hussain – Writer from Emirates