Mehdi Naghavi is an Iranian freelance calligrapher and visual artist working and living in Istanbul, Turkey.

He masters the calligraphy of Persian/Arabic letters and words. His designs, without any borders or deadlines, take us where the curves of the alphabet calls. Mehdi gives varied meanings to words combined with Semantic and Personal memories, love, and compassion.

ABOUT THE COLLECTION

The collection of the letters which form the unit is named WORD. Based on Rumi’s opinion*, only the connection of these letters does not create the word. Consequently, in the dictionary only the words with the definition are available. We can find one or more common meaning for each word. But each word, rather than rely on its denotation, has its own special connotation combining personal memories and experiences. In this collection, Mehdi has designed words stylized from Rumi’s poems and his experience.

BARAN (Rain) - In this cold and rain the Beloved is sweeter - Rumi

TO (You) - Without you the city is a prison for me - Rumi

DEL (Heart) The Bird of my heart has again begun to flutter - Rumi

MAH (Moon) The dark night is transformed to bright day by your moon like face - Rumi

ASEMAN (Sky) Become the sky, take an axe to prison wall, escape walk out like someone suddenly born into color - Rumi

INSAN (Human) I am wary of the beast and the devil, a man is my desire - Rumi

ALIF (A) - Be done with going back like a twisted foot; be as alif(A), sit single and upright - Rumi

SHAB (Night) - My night of waiting is very long - Rumi

ESHGH (Love) - In Love all things are transformed; Armenian is changed to Turk - Rumi

HICH (Nothing) - Thou are the First and the Last: we between are nothing, a nothing that does not come into (admit of) expression - Rumi