LONDON/-Xerxes Fine Arts presents My Freedom -Golnaz Fathi, retrospective of the Middle East’s foremost young female painter who pioneered the abstract calligraphic style she has made her own, on view through 8 November, 2008. A Recent History charts the career to date of the young Iranian artist Golnaz Fathi. Known for her trademark exploration of the calligraphic form, Fathi’s unique and distinctive style has received global acclaim and made her one of the most sought after artists in the region. Born in 1972, Fathi trained in calligraphy and graphics at the Iranian Society of Calligraphy and Azad Art University, Tehran. Her frustration at the unoriginal approach to traditional calligraphic practice led her to experiment with an abstract style based on the warm-up exercises practiced by professional calligraphers before they start their work. Using the same flowing brushstrokes as traditional calligraphy, Fathi has removed literal meaning to evolve an expressive technique of startling immediacy and beauty. Articulate and outspoken, Fathi’s independence of spirit extends beyond her artistic practice. Much like her work, she is at once the embodiment of what Iranian women have always had to offer, and an effective challenge to some of the widely-held stereotypes about the region.