Riders in mihrab Painting

Born in Tehran in 1974, Sasan Nasernia began his career as a calligrapher and typography artist. With a BFA from Azad Art University of Tehran, he has expanded his practice to include painting, print, digital work, and installations, exploring different avenues in Persian and Arabic classical and modern calligraphy. Inspired by philosophical notions such as chaos vs cosmos, impermanence, and the ideas from modern physics, Nasernia sees the world as a gigantic code where the spoken and written word has a primal influence. He uses letterforms as building blocks for his figurative pieces, which are rooted in traditional Persian paintings and iconography. His signature style of calligraphy, “Crazy Kufic,” is a personal journey to find novel ways to create letterforms while deconstructing the rules of Arabic and Persian calligraphy. This style emphasizes fluidity and uncertainty in our natural and extramundane worlds. He has exhibited his work in solo and group shows throughout the Middle East, the United States, and the UK, and continues to push the boundaries of his practice to create thought-provoking and visually captivating pieces.