Rafa Nasiri. 50 Years of Printmaking

A competent printmaker, Nasiri’s passion for printmaking grew out of his direct contact with Chinese art throughout his training years at the Central Academy for Fine Arts in Beijing 1959-1963. As a painter and printmaker Nasiri has challenged the format, techniques and expressive potentials of the medium in both artistic fields. His prints represent a separate body parallel and complementary to his paintings. Nasiri’s fascination with the art of printmaking drew him to explore the origins of the medium. He joined his two years training in the Gravura, Lisbon (1967-1969). Having felt the bad need of new specialized trends that may support the art process in Iraq and enhance the dynamism of innovated creativity and venues for the coming generations, he dedicated himself to establish the first Graphic Arts department at his alma mater, the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad. A comprehensive monograph dedicated to one of the most influential Arab artists of our time. Rafa Nasiri’s art derives from his direct exposure to the mysterious and infinite horizons of his homeland—Iraq. Rafa’s passion for and competency in printmaking grew out during his training years at the Central Academy for Fine Arts in Beijing, where he developed a vision based on the Chinese approach of man being a part of nature’s creative process.