Golnaz fathi biography of williams
GOLNAZ FATHI
Golnaz Fathi’s work explores the potential for overlap and exchange between the quite separate domains of modernist abstraction and classical Persian calligraphy. She is remarkable for being one of only a handful of women trained to the highest levels of traditional Persian calligraphy. When, her talents once recognised, Fathi was eventually invited to join the inner sanctum of the prestigious Iranian Calligraphy Association—an exclusively masculine institution—she chose instead to follow her dream and define herself as a contemporary artist. Fathi’s rigorous calligraphic training—six hours practice per day over many years—thereafter became a fertile source of her inventive explorations of the art of inscribing meaning by using extemporised forms akin to writing.
Golnaz Fathi’s canvases operate in the ‘interzone’ between script that is absent of meaning and the broad field of potential significance offered to each spectator by that telling absence. The viewer must, therefore, either intuit the artist’s original intentions or allow the visceral shock of each abstract canvas to transform them into a co-creator of the work, and by using their feelings and emotional intelligence discover their own interpretations as they ponder the painting’s meaning.
October Gallery, London exhibited her powerful solo exhibitions, Liminal- Subliminal (2010), Dance Me to the End of Night (2014) and No rain will put out this fire (2023). Fathi’s work has been collected in many public and private collections internationally, including the British Museum, London; the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; the World Bank, Washington, D.C.; the Asian Civilizations Museum, Singapore, Carnegie Mellon University in Doha; the Islamic Art Museum (IAMM), Kuala Lumpur; Denver Art Museum, Denver; Royal Pavilion & Museums, Brighton & Hove; and the Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi amongst others.
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View below for career highlights and works for sale by the artist.
GOLNAZ FATHI Items From Our Store
| Born in 1972, Tehran, Iran. Lives and works in Tehran, Iran. | ||
| Education | ||
| 1996 | Diploma of Iranian Calligraphy, Iranian Society of Calligraphy, Tehran, Iran | |
| 1995 | Bachelors of Art in Graphics, Azad Art University, Tehran, Iran | |
| Selected solo exhibitions | ||
| 2023 | No rain will put out this fire, October Gallery, London, UK | |
| 2022 | The Road Forward, Sundaram Tagore gallery, Chelsea, New York, USA Golnaz Fathi: Untold Symphony, Opera Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon | |
| 2019 | Let’s pretend everything is alright, Sundaram Tagore gallery, New York, USA | |
| 2018 | A Long Line Without a Word, PearlLam Galleries, Shanghai | |
| 2017 | Golnaz Fathi: Traces of Yesterday, AB43 Contemporary ,Thalwil, Switzerland | |
| 2016 | Kaht/Line, The Third Line Gallery, Dubai, UAE Contemplations, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Singapore In Silence, PearlLam Galleries, Singapore (Gillman Barracks), Singapore | |
| 2015 | Every Braking Wave, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Hong Kong | |
| 2014 | Dance Me to the End of Night, October Gallery, London, UK | |
| 2013 | The Living Road, PearlLam Fine Art, Shanghai, China Golnaz Fathi, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York, U.S.A Falling Leaves, The Third Line Gallery, Dubai, UAE< | |
| 2010 | Liminal-Subliminal, October Gallery, London, UK Ride Like the Wind, Sultan Gallery, Kuwait Controlled Chaos, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE | |
| 2009 | Doha series, The Third Line, Doha, Qatar | |
| 2008 | My Freedom, Xerxes Gallery, London, UK | |
| Sleepless Nights, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE | ||
| 2007 | BeyondWords, La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art, Bahrain | |
| 2006 | Golnaz Fathi, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE | |
| 2005 | Golnaz Fathi, Space SD, Beirut, Lebanon | |
| Un-Written, The Third Line, Dubai, UAE | ||
| Virtual Painting Exhibition, ArteEast Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture de Neuilly, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France | ||
| 2004 | Agence Le Carré Bleu, Paris, France | |
| L’oeil du Huit, Paris, France | ||
| Golestan Gallery, Tehran, Iran | ||
| 2002 | Golestan Gallery, Tehran, Iran | |
| 2000 | Golestan Gallery, Tehran, Iran | |
| Shahr-e-Ketab Bookstore of Niavaran, Tehran, Iran | ||
| 1999 | Seyhoon Gallery, Tehran, Iran | |
| 1998 | Seyhoon Gallery, Tehran, Iran | |
| Selected group exhibitions | ||
| 2024 | Transvangarde: Free Style Cipher, October Gallery, London, UK | |
| 2023 | Abstraction, Salons du Trocadero, Paris, France The Orange River, Sixty Six Gallery, London, UK Back to the Future, Galerie Nicholas Flamel, Paris, France Meaning & Materiality: Art of and Inspired by Asia and the Subcontinent, Sundaram Tagore, New York, Chelsea, New York, USA Reorientation: The Space In-Between, Sundaram Tagore, Singapore In Conversation: Historic And Recent Works By Women, Sundaram Tagore, New York, Chelsea, New York, USA | |
| 2022 | Surface Appeal, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Singapore 20+, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York, USA Spring Group Show, Sundaram Tagore, Singapore Collaboration, Sundaram Tagore, New York, Chelsea, New York, USA | |
| 2021 | Sundaram Tagore Gallery Survey, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Singapore Painting Unbound, Online Exhibition, October Gallery, Bloomsbury, London, UK | |
| 2020 | Metamorphoses, PearlLam Galleries, Shanghai, China Atmospheres, October Gallery, London, UK Sundaram Tagore Gallery Survey, Sundaram Tagore, Singapore For Beirut with Love, Opera Gallery, Beirut, Lebanon | |
| 2019 | Writing non Writing, Modern Calligraphy Festival, Museum of Contemporary Art , CAA Hongzhou, China The decorated word, writing and picturing in Islamic calligraphy, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, USA Winter Group Show, Sundaram Tagore, New York, Chelsea, New York, USA Dream No Small Dream: 40 years of the Transvangarde, October Gallery, London, UK Women’s Work: Contemporary Art from Asia and the Middle East, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Singapore | |
| 2018 | Transvangarde: Contemporary Art from around the planet, October Gallery, London, UK Infinite Present: The Revelatory Art of Islamic Design, Gallery 344, Cambridge Arts Council, Massachusetts, USA Sundaram, Tagore Gallery, Singapore Duo exhibition: Crossfades and Drawn Forms, Golnaz Fathi and Lan Zhenghui, PearlLam Galleries, Singapore | |
| 2017 | All Happens After Sunset…, MoCA Pavliion, Shanghai, China Group Show (winter), Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Singapore Group Show (summer), Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Singapore INK ASIA, PearlLam Galleries, Hong Kong Quotidian, PearlLam Galleries, Shanghai, China Appearance, White Line Gallery, Tehran, Iran | |
| 2016 | In Silence, Pearl Lam Galleries, Singapore AB Discovery 2016, AB Gallery, Lucerne, Switzerland Labyrinths, Pearl Lam Galleries, Hong Kong | |
| 2015 | Frontiers Reimagined: Art That Connects Us, Museo di Palazzo Grimani, Venice, Italy International Calligraphy Exhibition, Wafi, Dubai, UAE Writing non writing, Museum of Contemporary Art, CAA Hongzhou, China | |
| 2014 | 35 Years of Transvangarde: Contemporary art from around the planet, October Gallery, London, UK Approaches to Tradition, Neo-traditionalism in contemporary Iranian art, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran, Iran Marked: Contemporary takes on mark -making, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Hong Kong Marked: Contemporary Takes on Mark-Making, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York, USA | |
| 2013 | Nun Va Al Qalam Contemporary Muslim Calligraphy, The Islamic Arts Museum, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Qalam: The Art of Beautiful Writing, Birmingham Museums & Art Gallery, Birmingham, UK To be a Lady: An International Celebration of Women in the Arts, Curated by Jason Andrew, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, Singapore | |
| 2012 | Masters of the Transvangarde, October Gallery, London, UK | |
| Alternative view: Three Generations of Iranian Women, Mellat Gallery, Tehran | ||
| Written Images: Contemporary Calligraphy from the Middle East, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, HK | ||
| The Other Half of Iran, Sem-Art Gallery, Monaco | ||
| World Stories- Young Voices, Brighton Museum, UK | ||
| The Elephant in the Dark, Devi Art Foundation, New Delhi, India | ||
| 2011 | Hong Kong Art Fair, PearlLam Fine Art Gallery, Hong Kong | |
| Written Images: Contemporary Calligraphy from the Middle East, Sundaram Tagore Gallery, New York, USA | ||
| The Art of Writing, Art Forum of Wiesbaden, Germany | ||
| Transvangarde: Contemporary Art from Around the World, October Gallery, London, UK | ||
| 2010 | Iran Inside Out, Farjam Collection, Dubai, UAE | |
| 2009 | International Woman Artists’ Biennial, South Korea | |
| Iran Inside Out, Chelsea Art Museum, New York, USA | ||
| Selseleh/Zelseleh: Movers & Shakers in Contemporary Iranian Art, Curated by Dr. Layla Diba, Leila Taghinia-Milani Heller Gallery, New York, USA | ||
| 2008 | Look what love has done to us, Cramer Gallery, Geneva, Switzerland | |
| Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East, British Museum at DIFC, Curated by Venetia Porter, Dubai, UAE | ||
| 2007 | Cutting Edge: Spotlight on the avant-garde of emerging countries, Artcurial, Paris, France | |
| Collected Memories, ArtSpace Gallery, London, UK | ||
| Within and Without, Nomoregrey Gallery, London, UK | ||
| Group exhibition, Mah Gallery, Tehran, Iran | ||
| Group exhibition, Unnamed Gallery, Amman, Jordan | ||
| Wishes and Dreams, Meridian International Centre, Washington DC, USA | ||
| ARTPARIS 07, Grand Palais, Paris, France | ||
| Group Exhibition, Niavaran Artistic Creation Foundation, Tehran, Iran | ||
| 2006 | Transit, Istanbul Improvisation Days, Istanbul, Turkey | |
| Group Exhibition, Don O'Melveny Gallery, Los Angles, USA | ||
| Word into Art: Artists of the Modern Middle East, The British Museum, London, UK | ||
| 9th International Open Exhibition, Woman Made Gallery, Chicago, USA | ||
| 2005 | Group Exhibition, Espace SD, Beirut, Lebanon | |
| Group Exhibition, Mah Gallery, Tehran, Iran | ||
| Group Exhibition, Italian School of Tehran, Tehran, Iran | ||
| 2004 | Group Exhibition, Depot Square Gallery, Boston, USA | |
| Group Exhibition, Elga Wimmer Gallery, New York City, USA | ||
| Group Exhibition, Fatima Gallery, Tehran, Iran | ||
| Group Exhibition, Italian School of Tehran, Tehran, Iran | ||
| Group Exhibition, Royal Mirage Hotel, Dubai, UAE | ||
| 2003 | Group Exhibition, Williams Tower Gallery, Houston, USA | |
| 6th Tehran Contemporary Painting Biennial, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran, Iran | ||
| Group Exhibition, The National Arts Club, New York, USA | ||
| Group Exhibition, Lo Sguardo Di Luce, Padova, Italy | ||
| New Art from Iran, Art Centre of Plano, Plano, Texas, USA | ||
| New Art from Iran, Museum of Arts and Science, Daytona Beach, Florida, USA | ||
| 2002 | Group Exhibition, Golestan Gallery, Tehran, Iran | |
| Group Exhibition, Don O'Melveny Gallery, Los Angles, USA | ||
| New Art from Iran, Art Museum of Southeast Texas, Beaumont, Texas, USA | ||
| New Art from Iran, Queen Library Gallery, Jamaica, New York, USA | ||
| 2001 | Group Exhibition, La Maison du Livre, Brussels, Belgium | |
| Group Exhibition, Hôtel de Ville de Saint-Gilles, Saint-Gilles, Belgium | ||
| Group Exhibition, Golestan Gallery, Tehran, Iran | ||
| Group Exhibition, Courtyard Gallery, Dubai, UAE | ||
| Group Exhibition, Meridian International Centre, Washington DC, USA | ||
| 2000 | Group Exhibition, Azteca Gallery, Madrid, Spain | |
| Group Exhibition, Seyhoon Gallery, Tehran, Iran | ||
| 1998 | Group Exhibition, Seyhoon Gallery, Tehran, Iran | |
| 1997 | 1st Islamic World Calligraphy Festival, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran, Iran | |
| Group Exhibition, Seyhoon Gallery, Tehran, Iran | ||
| 1996 | Calligraphy Exhibition, Reza Abbassi Museum, Tehran, Iran | |
| Calligraphy Exhibition, Seyhoon Gallery, Tehran, Iran | ||
| 1995 | Exhibition of Art University Students, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran, Iran | |
| 1994 | Exhibition for Iranian Women Painters, Turkey | |
| 1993 | 2nd Painting and Miniature Exhibition, Tehran Exhibition Centre, Tehran, Iran | |
| 2nd Tehran Contemporary Painting Biennial, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran, Iran | ||
| Grants and Awards | ||
| 2012 | Visiting artist at “Art Campus”, Meissen Porcelain Factory, Germany | |
| 2011 | Chosen as a Young Global Leader - World Economic Forum, Geneva, Switzerland | |
| 2010 | Sharjah Calligraphy Biennial, UAE - Selection Committee | |
| 2007 | Residence scholarship, Fabrica, Treviso, Italy | |
| 2004 | Residence Scholarship, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France | |
| 2003 | Residence Scholarship, Cité Internationale des Arts, Paris, France | |
| 1995 | Best Woman Calligraphist in Ketabat style, Iranian Society of Calligraphy, Tehran, Iran | |
| 1993 | Diploma of Honour in Graphics and Painting, Museum of Contemporary Art, Tehran, Iran | |
| Collections |
Asian Civilization’s Museum, Singapore |