Edition: Edition of 10
Created: 2026
Size: 8″ x 5.25″ x .15″
Price/Availability: $1500 – Sale inquiries email insiya@insiya.com
artist Book by Insiya Dhatt
Cover Design & Leather Dyeing by Coleen Curry
Quest for Love is a non-linear set of three books that explores different aspects of love through the traditional Urdu ghazal form. This project brings together the verses of three Urdu masters—Mirza Ghalib, Momin Khan Momin, and Mir Taqi Mir—to examine the journey of longing, memory, and surrender.
This work is a collaboration with Coleen Curry.The volumes are bound in hand-dyed calf leather by Coleen Curry, featuring treated calf-suede doublures and an exposed pamphlet stitch. The set is housed in a custom laser-etched wood box I designed to hold these books.
The Three Volumes
- Ain (ع) — Mirza Ghalib (1797–1869): Focuses on the “Eye” and the initial vision of desire through the ghazal “Dil-e-nādāñ tujhe huā kyā hai?”.
- Sheen (ش) — Momin Khan Momin (1800–1851): Explores intensity and memory through the ghazal “Tumheñ yād ho ki na yād ho”.
- Qaaf (ق) — Mir Taqi Mir (1723–1810): Represents Qalb (The Heart) and the final state of surrender through the ghazal “Faqīrānah ā’e sadā kar chale”.
Each volume is bound using an exposed pamphlet stitch with Hanji flyleaves.
Hand-dyed calf leather with treated calf-suede doublures, uniquely finished by Coleen Curry. The covers are gold foil stamped with a single Urdu letter: Ain (ع), Sheen (ش), and Qaaf (ق). Together, these letters spell the word “Ishq” (Passionate Love).
Text and intricate Islamic patterns are laser etched and cut into Hahnemühle Ingres paper using a Fusion Laser.
Urdu is a linguistic tapestry that blends Persian and Arabic script with the phonetic sounds of Sanskrit. Historically spoken by Southeast Asian Muslims, it is a language uniquely capable of expressing the complex, personal notes of the human heart.
The box is a custom wood laser-etched box designed and created by the artist
Right-to-Left (RTL) orientation to honor the Urdu script