KOCHI: From a distance, Malappuram native Ajmal Salman’s art look like intricate artsy loops and whorls. If you look closer, you will begin to see they are letters coming together in a rare balance to create an artwork. Each word and cursive has a certain symmetry. Growing up, Ajmal was always making sure all his letters are neatly written and arranged. Even when he didn’t score as well in a test, his teachers would still applaud his handwriting. And at 25, Ajmal has taken his love for words and letters to another level, by creating typography portraits. Though he is settled in Dubai now, his roots are very Malayalam including the charatcters in his portraits.
While he was a BTech in Computer Science student, Ajmal would scribble portraits and caricatures on his writing desk. His friends soon started requesting him to draw for them. A self-taught artist, Ajmal forayed into typography to try and create something unique. The first typography portrait he created was of actor Mohanlal, using all the names of the movies he acted in.
The work was acknowledged as the ‘largest typography portrait of Indian actor Mohanlal’, and got Ajmal a place in the International Book of Records, America Book of Records, Asia Book of Records and India Book of Records. Actor Mohanlal himself called the artist when he saw the potrait.
“It was a poignant moment for me. That call is one of the most memorable moments in my life,” says Ajmal. The main challenge, he claims, is maintianing uniformity — writing every letter without a sliver of change in size or shape. But thankfully, Ajmal is in love with letters. Each work takes just around an hour for him to finish. Ajmal has also made portraits of Shah Rukh Khan using just the word ‘SRK’.
Ajmal believes that one can’t put a price on art. “I have never created an artwork for money. When people ask if they could get a portrait done, they do so because they want to see themselves in that frame. I do it to bring a smile to their face. That’s all the reward I want,” says Ajmal who wants to delve more into typography art and explore its possibilities. “Typography portrait is my signature. I want to do more art in that genre,” he says.
