Golnaz Fathi

Studying Graphic Design at Azad University in Tehran, Fathi, always fascinated by the expressive potential of traditional Persian calligraphic forms, immersed herself in a sustained six-year study of traditional calligraphy. She then became one of only a tiny handful of women trained to the highest level within that discipline. She proceeded to expand her practice and has developed an idiom of her own with large, bold abstractions. In recent work Fathi developed the technique of Siah Mashgh, a dedicated practice of repeating letters over and over until the ink creates a densely textured, solid black impression. Fathi’s hand movements form uncompromised gestures, emerging out of the deep layers and attempt to capture a thought, emotion, or sound. Undertaken with the same consideration, each work is densely inscribed with potential meanings allowing unrestrained imaginative possibilities.