The abstract network of design that defines this composition was inspired by Islamic calligraphy, in particular a medieval Persian manuscript page. Although the contemporary work is on a vastly expanded scale, the black-marked band of design punctuated by orange dots is reminiscent of the illuminated headers that frame the titles of chapters and sections of the traditional manuscript, while the black marks above and below suggest the text. In fact, this is an actual text—the single Persian word ‘Eshq (love), in which the curvilinear letters overlap, intersect, and are hypnotically repeated to form an abstract, grid-like design.
Born in Tehran, Hadieh Shafie received her training in the United States, where she currently resides, earning a master of fine arts in painting from Pratt Institute. She was a finalist for the 2011 Jameel Prize, and her work was presented in the related international traveling exhibition. Shafie works mainly with paper, sometimes creating three-dimensional compositions from tiny Persian inscribed rolls of colored paper or else using paper as a platform for her calligraphy, as in this work.
