"In the introduction of the exhibition catalogue of a show I had in Washington D.C. that talked about the use of calligraphy in my works, the curator wrote that he could not see Arabic calligraphy in my works but rather a series of 'signs'. That statement gave me more confidence in what I was doing. By trying to produce an art that is accessible to everyone I was not only attempting to bridge the contemporary and the ancient, but also to bridge Western and Eastern art"