
17 Jan – 27 Apr 2025
Fighting to Be Heard
British Library
Boxing, calligraphy and the collections of the British Library.
Boxing and calligraphy connect in an exhibition featuring rare items from the Arabic and Urdu collections of the British Library.
The ancient art of calligraphy and the noble art of boxing are an unlikely pairing, but they share a surprising amount of common ground. This free exhibition explores connections between the two disciplines through the eyes of a group of British South Asian Muslim men living in Bradford today.
Razwan Ul-Haq is an acclaimed calligrapher and one-time boxing trainee. Tasif Khan is a world champion boxer and founder of Bradford’s Tasif Khan Community Boxing Academy. Together with boxers and trainers from the Academy, including head coach Nissar Hussain and trustee Sohail Ahmed, they’ve chosen a selection of rare items from the British Library’s Arabic and Urdu collections, and from the collections of Bradford District Museums & Galleries – from ninth-century calligraphy to extraordinary contemporary work.
Fighting to Be Heard also features the men’s personal stories and their reactions to the collections – offering fascinating new perspectives on these objects.
Image: Part 25 of a Qur'an in 30 parts, written in gold Muḥaqqaq script and dedicated to Sultan Öljaitü in 710 AH/1310 CE in Mosul, modern-day Iraq © British Library
‘Writing to Be Heard’ © Razwan Ul-Haq
Partners
Past event
Were you at this event?
Complete our feedback form and let us know what you thought.
Share your feedbackRelated Events

9 Oct 2025
Turner Lates: October
The first in a series of special evening events to celebrate the Turner Prize 2025 in Bradford.

16 Oct 2025 - 22 Feb 2026
Hardy and Free
Carolyn Mendelsohn
The Kirkgate Shopping Centre turns gallery for a monumental exhibition celebrating Yorkshire women and the natural world.

17 - 19 Oct 2025
You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know, Do You?
Reflections on the history of Bradford Resource Centre (BRC), a key hub for community action in Bradford.

18 Sep - 19 Oct 2025
OUR TURN: Practice Bradford
A group exhibition showcasing new work by four of Bradford’s most exciting emerging artists

18-19 Oct 2025