She first discovered calligraphy while studying graphic design at Tehran’s Azad University, which she later left to train for six years at the Calligraphy Association of Iran. Practicing the script for over seven hours a day eventually paid off – she was the first woman to win an award for ketabat (a genre of calligraphy) – but she soon tired of the discipline’s rules and regulations. Hence, she created a new form of expression in her paintings; an imaginary language deeply rooted in Persian tradition while simultaneously hinting at a social renaissance.
Fathi has exhibited extensively across the globe, including works in the most recent Word into Art: Modern Artists of the Middle East show at the British Museum. Her work has been presented in numerous solo and group exhibitions internationally at such venues as La Fontaine Centre of Contemporary Art, Bahrain; The Third Line, Dubai, UAE; Maison des Jeunes et de la Culture de Neuilly, Neuilly-sur-Seine, France; Galerie L’oeil du Huit, Paris, France; Golestan Gallery, Tehran, Iran; Grand Palais, Paris, France; O’Melveny Gallery, Los Angles, USA; Espace SD, Beirut, Lebanon; Elga Wimmer Gallery, New York City, NY, USA; Lo Sguardo Di Luce, Padova, Italy; Azteca Gallery, Madrid, Spain.
Golnaz lives and works in Iran.
