Golnaz Fathi’s pen draws a line between freedom and precision

Line/Khat is an exhibition in Dubai by Golnaz Fathi where a series of drawings made with rollerball and ballpoint pens consist only of lines, drawn with precision and yet exhibiting a sense of freedom.

Golnaz Fathi’s exhibition, Line/Khat, at The Third Line Gallery, displays work with pens. Courtesy of the artist and The Third Line

Golnaz Fathi spent many years painstakingly studying the art of Iranian calligraphy. Once she completed her studies, she spent two decades breaking the rules and minimalising the forms of the written word to arrive at a simple line.

Line/Khat, her exhibition at The Third Line Gallery in Dubai this month, is a series of drawings made with rollerball and ballpoint pens that consist of only lines, drawn with precision and yet exhibiting a sense of freedom.

It might sound simple, but the artist hopes the results of her efforts will lift the souls of those who view her work in the same intuitive way a good piece of music does.

“Over the years, my aim has been to make writing more and more abstract, reducing it to its most minimal form,” she says.

“I don’t want to give any literary message – I am a painter, I want anyone to enjoy the visual message of my work. I compare it to music: there is no need for explanation, it is only about losing yourself, if only for a second, and being taken to another place.”

Some of the works in the exhibition are large and sprawling on paper. These are covered in countless marks made in black or purple rollerball ink, punctuated with small pockets of red and yellow, that give the works depth.

They are also abstract pieces, which Fathi describes as made in a semi-unconscious manner.

“People often ask me for a meaning but it is a mystery for me too,” she says. “The mission of art is to bring questions; it is not there to give answers. For me, I find the lines themselves amazing, with their lack of conclusion, persistence and accidents together.

“When I was working it was really the pen that showed me the way. It was like an awakening to me.”

Working with simple pens is a far cry from the materials traditionally used in calligraphy and fine art.

“The biro is such a modest material,” she says. “We never pay attention to them. They are everywhere – hotels, banks, every public place – and nobody notices if they are lost or taken. But when I started to work with them, they opened a whole new world.”

The ink was also an important medium, she adds, particularly with the darker pieces. When used in such concentration, it revealed many other colours.

“For me, black is king,” she says. “It is a mix of all colours, and with this ink you can see magenta, brown, green and blue and so many colours within it. It is like a peacock feather.”

On display, beside the large works, are smaller pieces made into geometric forms, as well as two folding books that are filled with pages of similar mark making.

With some of the contents dating back to 2012, the art books show the progression of Fathi’s work and help audiences to understand how she developed to this point.

• Line/Khat is showing until January 28 at The Third Line Gallery in Dubai