April 2023
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One month into the Sudan civil war, almost $150k in aid has been raised through LaunchGood. Sudan needs our attention more than ever with an attack on health care facilities, depleting medical supplies and lack of sufficient funds.

Dec 2022

Shaimaa Osman (who is more popularly known as Salam Sanctuary), is a Dutch-born North African Sudanese junior doctor and artist based in Devon. She is renowned for her creative and fresh approach to Islamic art through an exploration of maps, calligraphy and collage. We talk to Shaimaa about her unique approach to Islamic art, how travel inspires her creativity and reflections on art as a space for peace and contemplation.

Tell us a bit about you, how did you start your journey as an artist?

I spent most of my childhood painting and exploring the outdoors and nothing really changed as I grew up. Once I started studying art at the end of high school, I got a better understanding of the huge variety of practices within art. Those years solidified my path to balance my creative spirit with my medical aspirations. During my year out prior to University, I came across artists on instagram that practiced Arabic calligraphy and traditional Islamic art - it was the first time I realised there was a rich art heritage linked to my faith. I became fascinated instantly!

You have a deep interest and fascination with maps. Why maps?

My fascination with maps was an unexpected stumble! I instantly thought of a certain verse in the Quran when I found a beautiful map of the world in a bookshop a few years ago. With my background in thuluth Arabic calligraphy, I began playing with the idea of calligraphy on maps and globes instead of a canvas. Since then, I have been collecting maps to calligraphy and design on - from world maps, tidal charts to celestial charts. A map or chart of the sky can hold a lot of stories, some that we all relate to as humankind, but also many personal ones. I have become obsessed with exploring this concept of connection through maps. Also, I am quite aware that many people are practising the art of calligraphy, and I wanted to find my own niche within that world.

Has your heritage and faith influenced your creative practice?

A huge part of my art journey actually stems from a faith search, I was learning more about Islam for myself and came across different forms of Islamic Art, that’s how I got started.

In terms of my heritage, I have recently connected a whole lot more and found that Sudanese people are such creative souls - it has motivated me to keep cultivating my presence. Back in 2018, I visited Khartoum with more focus to learn about the art scene there, Sudanese art is vibrant and a fusion of Arab, African and Islamic Art.