Artist Salma Arastu knows a thing or two about intercultural communication. She was born in India and raised in Hinduism before embracing Islam through her marriage. Now, she uses that melded faith background to build religious bridges through her artwork: Arabic calligraphy melded with abstract expressionist paintings. On Friday’s “Cityscape,” Arastu joined host Steve Potter to discuss her artwork, which is now on display at Saint Louis University’s Museum of Contemporary Religious Art ( MOCRA ). The name of the exhibition is “Painted Prayers: The Calligraphic Art of Salma Arastu.” Terry Dempsey, the director of the museum, also joined the show to discuss the genesis of the exhibit. Arastu, who moved to the U.S. with her husband in 1986 after several years living in Kuwait and Iran, said her art initially became popular through Islamic greeting cards she illustrated. Now, she combines layers of acrylic paint with Arabic calligraphy of prayers from the Quran. In two paintings, she also
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