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.
Her first solo exhibition, Liminal-Subliminal at October Gallery, took place in 2010, followed by a second solo show, Dance Me to the End of Night, in 2014. Her work can be found in collections around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA; Carnegie Mellon University in Doha, Qatar; Islamic Art Museum (IAMM), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; the British Museum, London, UK; Denver Art Museum, Denver, USA; Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove, UK; Asian Civilisation’s Museum, Singapore; and Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi, India.