Arash's space-based artwork at Red Poppy Art House Gallery, San Francisco
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Hi, I'm Arash!
Hi, I'm Arash!
Arash Shirinbab is a multifaceted artist, calligrapher, curator, and designer with over 15 years of experience blending creativity, cultural exploration, and artistic leadership. His journey is a testament to his deep commitment to art in its many forms, spanning practice, theory, and education.
Arash’s early artistic foundation began in Kerman, Iran, where he immersed himself in hands-on drawing, painting, and theoretical studies of art history and visual fundamentals from 1999 to 2002 with Master Imam and Arabpour. He went on to study Industrial and Product Design at the University of Tehran, earning both a BA and MA in design by 2006.
Arash's masterclass at Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, Moscow
In 2008, he pursued the classical study of calligraphy under master calligraphers from the Iranian Calligraphists Association including Master Garakani and Jazaeri. His expertise includes rare and ancient scripts such as Kufic, a script understood and practiced by very few worldwide. His scholarship on this script has been recognized at prestigious venues, including the Fourth Historians of Islamic Art Association (HIAA) Biennial Symposium at the Aga Khan Museum in Toronto.
Arash’s artistic practice has earned him national and international acclaim, with over 80 exhibitions, including more than 12 solo shows, spanning the US, Spain, France, Poland, Italy, Canada, Russia, Japan, Thailand, India, and Iran. Highlights include prestigious venues like the San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild and Triton Museum of Art in California, Associazione Culturale Day One in Italy, Kunsthaus-Berlin-Marbella Museum in Spain, and Saadabad Palace in Tehran. His distinctive "Poem-Painting" style, merging calligraphy with painting, has garnered critical praise, with pieces acquired by private collectors and museums like the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy in Moscow.
Arash's collaborative performance with Hannah Beck, Angela Newsham, Maria Dawn, and Nathalie Brilliant at San Francisco City Hall
Arash's work has been highlighted in publications such as Level 25 Art Journal and Tehran Times and celebrated by curators, critics, and collectors globally.
Arash’s achievements include numerous awards, such as First Place and Best of Show for the 50 Shades of Gray competition by Focus Point & Shape Gallery, the Special Recognition Award from Art Quench Magazine, and a $40,000 grant from Creative Work Fund. These accolades underscore the originality of his work and his creative impact on the global art scene.
Passionate about fostering dialogue through art, Arash has curated numerous exhibitions and judged international art competitions, with a focus on celebrating cultural diversity and social justice. Notably, he founded and curates Calligraphies in Conversation, an acclaimed international exhibition that has attracted over 3,000 submissions from around the globe.
In addition to his artistic practice, Arash has contributed to the art community as a board member of the Berkeley Art Center, an advisor to the de Young Museum in San Francisco, and a grant panelist for the California Arts Council.
Artist Statement
Artist Statement
My work centers on the social, political, and spiritual dimensions embedded within the historical lettering systems of the Near East. Rooted in the tension between tradition and modernity, my practice navigates the interplay of opposites: classic calligraphy and calligraffiti, structure and freedom, precision and spontaneity, legibility and abstraction. Through continuous experimentation, I renew the expression of letters and forms, challenging the boundaries of their visual and cultural legibility.
A key focus of my work is the revival of Kufic calligraphy, a style developed in the 7th century in the Near East that gradually fell out of use by the 11th century. I breathe new life into this ancient script, reimagining it as a modern aesthetic element that can resonate with contemporary audiences. My work transfigures Kufic into tangible, thriving forms, preserving its legacy while offering a fresh perspective.
I explore Kufic expansively across multidisciplinary mediums, including large-scale calligraffiti, painting, ceramics, digital art, and installations. My personal style fuses the classical rigor of traditional forms with the dynamic energy of modern urban graffiti, bridging historical depth and contemporary relevance. This synthesis makes the once-overlooked Kufic style accessible to a broader audience, connecting its historical roots to the present.
Arash's collaborative multi-media work with Forrest Lesch-Middelton at Walter and Elis Fund, San Francisco. Details here
In my large-format calligraffiti, I transform words and letters into vivid illustrations that encapsulate the hidden histories and narratives embedded within the text. These works give voice to undervalued and overlooked traditions, bringing them to life in a way that reflects both their past and their potential future.
In my paintings, I layer text and meaning, using both the linguistic and aesthetic power of words to create poetic visual compositions that I call PoemPaintings. By intertwining calligraphy, painting, and poetry, I construct a dialogue between distinct art forms and cultures. These hybrid works evoke a multifaceted, mysterious world where abstraction invites interpretation beyond the constraints of language. While texts in their original languages, such as Persian or Arabic, often require translation to be understood, my abstraction of letters creates a universal visual language that transcends linguistic barriers.
Through my art, I aim to connect the past with the present, tradition with innovation, and diverse audiences with the universal language of form, color, and meaning.
Arash's collaborative multi-media installation with Forrest Lesch-Middelton and Pedram Baldari at Hopkins Center for Arts in Hopkins, MN, Details here
Selected Exhibitions
Selected Exhibitions
† Signifies Curatorial Commitment
* Signifies Solo or Duo Exhibition
April – May 2019
* "As Simple As Snow" solo exhibition, Red Poppy Art Gallery, San Francisco, California
March – April 2015
The 5th International Exhibition of Calligraphy, the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy in Moscow, Russia
Sept – Dec 2021
"The Land of Perspolis", Group exhibition at the Lewis-Clark State College Center for Arts and History, Lewiston, Idaho
* Dec 2021
"The Potter of Ages", Duo exhibition at Abgineh Museum, Tehran, Iran
March 2015
* “Inspirations of the Desert” solo exhibition, the Fine Arts Gallery of Saadabad Palace, Tehran, Iran
* March – May 2019
“The Earth is Broken, The Earth is Whole”, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Minnesota
January 2014
“Contemporary Visions Art Festival” by Associazione Culturale Day One at Multiverso gallery, Florence, Italy
Oct 2018
“Beauty of Ink” group exhibition with Art of Ink in America Society (AIAS), Bangkok Art and Culture Center, Bangkok, Thailand
† Nov 2018 – Jan 2019
“Calligraphies in Conversation” 5th International Exhibition, Oakland Asian Cultural Center, California
June – July 20218
Group exhibition at Seisho Calligraphy School, Osaka, Japan
September – October 2013
“Museum Belongs to All” exhibition, Kunsthaus-Berlin-Marbella, Marbella, Spain
February – March 2012
“Invoking Peace”, Euphrates Museum of Art, De Anza College, Cupertino, California
June – Aug 2018
“Kalligraphia XV” group exhibition, Skylight Gallery of San Francisco Public Library, California
October 2014
* “Timeless Words” solo exhibition, University of Toronto, Canada
† Sept – Dec 2017
“Calligraphies in Conversation” 4th International Exhibition, Skylight Gallery of San Francisco Public Library, San Francisco, California
March 2016
† “Rite of Passage” international group exhibition, San Francisco City Hall, California
April 2015
* “The Desert of Colors and Poetry” solo exhibition, Behesht Gallery, Kerman, Iran
August – Sept 2014
* Guest Artist Solo Exhibit of the Sumer Series Exhibitions, The Gallery of Arts Council of Big Bear Valley, Big Bear Lake, California
November 2013
“Unrestrained Inspirations International Art Competition”, EWNS Art Project, Paris, France
April – May 2014
* “The Word” solo exhibit, Library of Monterey Institute of International Studies, Monterey, California
February – April 2014
“Journey” group exhibition at Gallery 85 of the Vernon Davis Foundation for the Arts, San Jose, California
Jan 2014
“Reflections: Open International Juried Show” by San Diego Museum of Art Artists Guild (SDMA) at Gallery 21 Balboa Park, San Diego, California
November 2013
“BorderBody: Mixing Cities and Mixing Identities” by International ArtExpo at the Gallery MD_S, Wroclaw, Poland
Selected Awards & Honors
Selected Awards & Honors
National Endowment for the Arts’ Challenge America Grant Award, in Partnership with ICCNC, USA, 2017
Focus Point & Shape International Gallery's First Place and Best of Show in Mixed Media competition, USA, 2014
Zellerbach Family Foundation's Community Art Grant Award, in partnership with San Francisco Center for the Books, USA, 2019
Creative Works Fund's Lead Artist Grant Award, in Partnership with ICCNC, USA, 2015
Neda Nobari Foundation’s Visual Arts Grant Award, in Partnership with Oakland Asian Cultural Center, USA, 2019
East Bay Community Foundation’s Lead Artist Grant Award, in Partnership with Oakland Asian Cultural Center, USA, 2018
Four Points Contemporary Gallery's Honorable Mention Award for the 2nd Bi-annual International Competition, USA, 2014
San Francisco Foundation's FAITHS Program and Civic Engagement Grant Award, in Partnership with ICCNC, USA, 2015
East Bay Community Foundation's Lead Artist Finalist, in Partnership with ICCNC, USA, 2015
Light Space & Time Gallery's Special Merit Award for 3rd Annual International Art Competition, USA, 2013
Alliance for California Traditional Arts's Apprenticeship Program Award, USA, 2015
Art Quench Online Magazine's Special Recognition Award for My Art International Competition, USA, 2013
Alliance for California Traditional Arts's Living Cultures Grants Award, in Partnership with Ziya Art Center, USA, 2015
Doris Duke Foundation's Lead Artist Finalist, in Partnership with ICCNC, USA, 2015
Creative Works Fund's Lead Artist Grant Award, in Partnership with ICCNC, USA, 2015
Alliance for California Traditional Arts's Living Cultures Grants Award, in Partnership with Ziya Art Center, USA, 2015
Selected Workshops & Lectures
Nov. 13, 2019
University of California at Berkeley, Berkeley, California
May 22, 2019
Stanford University, Stanford, California
May 9, 2019
Square Inc Headquarter, San Francisco, California
March 22, 2019
Google Inc Headquarter, Mountain View, California
March 21, 2019
Oakland Museum of California, Oakland, California
May 3-5, 2018
Dallas Museum of Art, Dallas, Texas
April 16, 2018
Berkeley City College, Berkeley, California
Oct. 20-21, 2017
Irving Art Center, Irving, Texas
March 13, 2016
San Francisco Public Library, California
Oct. 5, 2015
Walter and Elise Haas Fund, San Francisco, California
March 15, 2015
Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy, Moscow, Russia
Feb. 4, 2015
Azad University of Kerman, Kerman, Iran
Dec 7, 2014
Fremont Main Library, Fremont, California
Oct. 24, 2014
University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
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