Mahmoud Halat
First solo exhibit · May 23–24, 2026

Arabesque, in layers.

Seven layered sculptures by Mahmoud Halat with Xact Design, on view at Meridian Arts Centre during Toronto Doors Open.

View the collectionHelp pick the colors
The collection

Seven pieces.

Moroccan Arch
Moroccan Arch
28.5 × 47 in
Arabesque Water
Arabesque Water
27 × 47 in
Arabesque Fire
Arabesque Fire
37.5 × 37.5 in
Fusion Tropical
Fusion Tropical
26 × 47 in
Geometric Midnight
Geometric Midnight
37.5 × 37.5 in
Geometric Sunshine
Geometric Sunshine
37.5 × 37.75 in
Geometric Seed
Geometric Seed
37.5 × 39 in
The work

Inspired by Moroccan woodcarvers.

The medium is layered cardboard, laser-cut and painted, framed in hardwood. The lineage is centuries of Islamic geometric design: zellige tile, muqarnas, the rosettes carved into Moroccan madrasa doors. Each piece begins as a single drawing and ends as a sculpted relief, twenty-plus layers deep.

Read the full statement →
From cardboard to wall

Seventeen hours of hand-work.

Every piece runs from a parametric sketch through a Thunder Laser Nova 63, hand-cleaning each layer, priming, painting in Behr Premium spray paint and hand-rolled acrylic, building the frame in hardwood, and assembling the stack with measured gaps so the shadows themselves become part of the pattern.

A large tracery layer on the Thunder Laser bed, mid-cut.
Orange-gloved hands placing the white-and-gold front layer.
Thunder Laser Nova 63 · 16 seconds of a 9-minute pass
A freshly cut sunshine pattern layer on the workbench.
A large cut layer next to its hardwood frame.
A finished khatem piece in gold with white Arabic calligraphy.

Thunder Laser Nova 63 · Behr Premium spray paint · Hand-roll acrylic · Hardwood frame

Recent from the studio

The physical pieces, this week.

Moroccan Arch in finished black with copper-star inlays.
Moroccan Arch as a raw cream-on-charcoal cut sheet.
Arabesque Water in finished cobalt-blue paint.
Fusion Tropical in finished green and lime, freshly painted.
Arabesque Fire as a raw white-on-charcoal mandala cut sheet.
A workshop ceiling lined with small khatem-pattern pieces in progress.
Wide shot of the workshop with framed pieces stacked against the wall.
Layer cut on the laser bed.
Layer cut on the laser bed.
The all-black Moroccan Arch wheeled on a red pallet jack out of the workshop.
The laser cutter mid-pass on a layer of Arabesque Water.
Geometric Tropical mid-paint in the spray booth, dark base coat going on.
Stencil layers for Geometric Sunshine laid flat before painting.
Mahmoud in green safety goggles at the laser cutter, mid-cut.
Drying racks of laser-cut layers in the workshop.
Wide shot of the Meridian Arts Centre atrium during install, multiple pieces visible.

Swipe →

Make it yours

Compose a palette in sixty seconds.

Pick a piece, pick a palette, and we'll email the composition back to you, with the option to reserve the original or order a desktop edition cut to fit a 12-inch shelf, from $220.

Open the composer
Stay close

Get notified when new pieces are released.