In this new series, Kheiriyeh draws inspiration from the love story of Zal and Rudaba, from the Shahnameh written by Ferdowsi — one of her favorite childhood narratives. Centuries ago, many Persian painters once illustrated these stories on a miniature scale. Kheiriyeh reimagines them in large-scale works that invite viewers to step inside their timeless world.

Rashin Kheiriyeh (b. 1979, Khorramshahr, Iran) is an Iranian-American multidisciplinary artist, author, and illustrator known for her vibrant, surreal, and imaginative works inspired by Persian classical literature and contemporary social narratives. A war survivor, she was introduced to art through her mother, an artist and midwife, and grew up surrounded by Persian miniatures, poetry, and storytelling traditions. Working across oil painting, Indian ink, gold leaf, and printmaking, Kheiriyeh explores themes of identity, feminism, migration, belonging, conflict, and cultural memory. Her work has been featured in The New Yorker and The New York Times. In 2007, she participated in the traveling exhibition Wishes and Dreams, organized by the Meridian International Center and the U.S. State Department’s International Cultural Exchange Program. Her paintings have been exhibited internationally, including Cherry Garden at the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Kheiriyeh has also authored and illustrated around 100 children’s books, including Rumi: Poet of Joy and Love and The Shape of Home.

My work is deeply inspired by the worlds of classical Persian literature that have lived in my imagination since childhood. I remember summer nights in Iran, sitting with my grandmother in the courtyard beneath a sky full of stars as she told us stories from the Shahnameh, The Book of Kings. Just at the most suspenseful moment, she would stop and promise the rest for the next night. Those unfinished stories continued in my dreams, unfolding like paintings. Today, when I stand before a blank canvas, those characters and surreal landscapes return vividly to me. I often imagine myself inside these tales, wandering through Persian gardens filled with beauty, mystery, and memory.

Painting the Epic: Shahnameh

Artist Talk & Live Demonstration by Rashin Kheiriyeh

Saturday, August 1, 1 pm

Join artist Rashin Kheiriyeh for an exploration of the Shahnameh, Persia’s great Book of Kings. Through an artist talk and live painting demonstration, attendees will discover how ancient stories are transformed into contemporary visual art.

Free to the public (a $10 donation is suggested)