Combining traditional and new media has shaped my practice and research in art. As a painter and illustrator, coming from Iran with a background in Industrial Design and traditional Iranian miniature painting, the process of experimenting with new media and combining it with traditional forms has become a part of my ongoing research investigation, practice, and inspiration. Persian miniature painting and Persian calligraphy provides a context and has a strong impact on my research. Calligraphy appears in many of my paintings, and has an important role regarding its relationship to the narratives embedded within the imagery that I work with. This has led me to dedicate a part of my research to exploring the role of typography and calligraphy in contemporary art.

This thesis examines the definition and function of calligraphy in Iranian and Islamic art through recent history, with a focus on letter-forms whose appearance supersedes the linguistic meaning of the text; and where their visual and aesthetic status is an art form in its own right. The text and image analysis demonstrates how these calligraphic forms are able to operate on numerous layers of aesthetic experience, approachable to a variety of audiences and viewers. In my study I specifically explore the work of Iranian artists such as Mohammad Ehsaei, Parviz Tanavoli, Homa Delvaray, and Golnaz Fathi whose works make use of calligraphic text; I analyze their relation to contemporary art. Finally, this paper draws together the connections between my secondary research on these artists, and my own primary research and practice in the studio.