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17 Jan – 27 Apr 2025

Cartwright Hall Art Gallery

Fighting to Be Heard

British Library

Boxing, calligraphy and the collections of the British Library.

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Boxing and calligraphy connected in an exhibition featuring rare items from the Arabic and Urdu collections of the British Library.

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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 explored the 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 chose 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 featured the men’s personal stories and their reactions to the collections – offering fascinating new perspectives on these objects.

Credits
A British Library co-production with Bradford District Museums & Galleries. Part of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture.

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
Close up picture of an open book including Arabic writing with decorative red and blue elements.
Indian Qur'an, 16 Century © David Lindsay
Close up image of small open book, with decorative gold and blue images on the page
Miniature Qur'an, Iran, 728AH/ 1328 BCE © David Lindsay
Man in an exhibition looking at a calligraphy pen in a glass case. On the wall is three images of men with bios underneath.
Man enjoying exhibition © David Lindsay
Open book with Arabic script and decorative golden elements.
Thirty- leaved Qur'an, late 19th century © David Lindsay
Decorative calligraphy pen case with a sliding wooden lid, and pen inside. Surrounding is an ink bottle, wooden inkwell and a piece of paper with hand written calligraphy on it.
Pen box © David Lindsay
Red and Gold boxing shorts saying 'KHAN' in a clear box, and above the shorts are red boxing gloves in a clear box.
Tasif Khan's boxing shorts and gloves © David Lindsay
bright white exhibition room with multiple calligraphy art pieces hung on the walls and clear boxes in the centre of the room containing Quran books on display
© David Lindsay

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