FARSHID SHAFIEI

Born in 1969 in Tehran, Iran. Shaffiee is considered one of Iran’s best-known illustrators. He studied graphic design and animation in his home town and has worked as an editor and art director for various magazines and publishers. His works are a passionate tribute to his Persian roots: ‘I am trying to be a very small part of the rich culture and history of my country which has lived more than 11000 years so far’. Traditional myths and legends are as much the subjects of his drawings as are fairytale stories by contemporary Iranian writers. Stories concerning the everyday lives of children in present-day Iran are also prominent among the artist’s choice of topics. Shafiee brilliantly fuses pictorial traditions from the Middle East with modern aesthetic impulses and innovative designs. Using warm colours and poetic elegance, Shafiee brings existential themes such as love, freedom and happiness to life. He showers many of his images with gouache and acrylic paint in flowing forms and colourful pictures. At times his illustrations are like mystically shadowy settings, and at times the page explodes with a panorama of colours. When explaining his method the artist commented that "all my characters, places, style and materials are different from one story to another. I try to hear the music which comes from each story." Farshid Shafiee’s many prize-winning works include the picture book ‘Peiwand’ (2006), for which he was awarded the Golden Apple by the 21st Biennial for Illustration in Bratislava. His drawings have been showcased worldwide in many countries, including China, Denmark, Italy, Japan, Croatia and Slovakia. The artist lives with his family in Tehran.