NAHID TOOTOONCHI
PROFESSOR, ART + DESIGN - GRAPHIC DESIGN, TOWSON UNIVERSITY

BLM, 2021
Calligraphy ink on paper

Tootoonchi creates Farsi (Persian) calligraphy using a bamboo pen and a wooden nib pen with organic inks.

“I teach typography; letterform and the anatomy of letters are my inspiration for art making in Farsi and Latin. Over the past few years the Black Lives Matter movement has impacted and inspired many people all over the world and has inspired my art work as well.

“In this work, I am using the letters B L M in Farsi with various shades to present the diversity of the movement. Gesture rather than legibility of the letters is emphasized in order to portray the challenges, tensions, and the beauty of the BLM movement.“