Iranian illustrator, Fereshteh Najafi attained a Bachelor of Graphic Design and Master of Illustration at the Art University, Tehran. In 2008 immigrated to Italy, Genova, where she has directed his creative work through illustration.
In recent years combines illustration, giving workshops in Italy, Brazil, United Arab Emirates. She began exhibiting internationally in 2006 and has since been represented in over 20 international exhibitions of illustration, including the prestigious Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, the Bologna Exhibition of Illustration, Nami Concours and other exhibitions in United Arab Emirates, Germany, Italy, Serbia, Slovakia, South Africa, Japan and India. Najafi has illustrated more than 25 titles, both in Iran and in Lebanon, Iraq, Brazil, United Arab Emirates, France, South Africa and Italy.
Najafi is admired for, among other things, her strong and unique visual vocabulary of heavily textured brushwork and a distinctive, confident use of colour Since 2015, she works and lives in Brazil.
Prizes and Exhibitions
- 2021 BIBF Ananas Illustration Awards, Beijing, China
- 2021 Illustradays, Athens, Greece
- 2020 BIBF Ananas Illustration Awards, Beijing, China
- 2019 Rende Festival – La piccola pittrice – Italy – Fisrt Prize
- 2018 Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award, Shanghai, China
- 2018 Le immagini della Fantasia – International Children’s Illustration Exhibition, Sarmede, Italy
- 2018 Theater – Art Exhibition, Wasserturm Stromeyersdorf, Konstanz, Germany
- 2017 Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award, Shanghai, China
- 2017 Nami Island International Picture Book Illustration Concours, South Korea
- 2017 Sharjah Children’s Book Festival, United Arab Emirates
- 2016 “Birds of a Feather” – Orange City, Sydney, Australia
- 2016 Sharjah Children’s Book Festival, United Arab Emirates – Honorable Mention Prize
- 2015 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Italy
- 2014 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Italy – New Horizons Mention – Bologna Ragazzi Award
- 2014 Exhibition at the International Youth Library, Castle Blood Castle, Munich, Germany
- 2013 Sharjah Children’s Book Festival, United Arab Emirates
- 2012 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Bologna, Italy
- 2012 Sharjah Children’s Book Festival, United Arab Emirates
- 2011 Bib – Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, Slovakia
- 2011 International Illustration Exhibition, Sarmede, Italy
- 2011 International Illustration Competition, Cremona, Italy
- 2011 Illustration Exhibition Alida Bothma and Fereshteh Najafi, South Africa
- 2010 International Illustration Competition, Belgrade, Serbia
- 2010 International Illustration Competition, Cremona, Italy
- 2009 Colors of Iran, Genova, Italy
- 2008 Bologna Children’s Book Fair, Bologna, Italy
- 2008 International Illustration Exhibition, Sarmede, Italy
- 2008 Fantasmi e Fughe, Mostra Internazionale di Illustrazione, Associazione Culturale Teatrio in Italy
- 2008 Second Prize, Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations, Accu – Asia⁄Pacific Cultural Centre for Unesco International Book Development Fund, Tokyo, Japan
- 2007 Bib – Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, Slovakia
- 2007 Iranian illustrators, Mantova, Italy
- 2006 Zoroastro, Goa, India
- 2005 Appreciation board from the 13th press festival, Tehran, Iran
- 2005 Second prize of the 2th illustration festival of educational books, Tehran, Iran
- 2004 Appreciation board of the 1th illustration festival of educational books, Tehran, Iran
- 2003 Appreciation board from the 6th press festival of Kanoon, Tehran, Iran
- 2002 Biennial of Illustration, Tehran, Iran
Selection of published albuns
- 2021 A menina e as estrelas – Editora Olho de Vidro, Brazil
- 2019 La piccola pittrice – 2nd Edition – Coccole Books, Italy
- 2019 What’s up, Little Red Riding Hood? – Educacional, Brazil
- 2018 I dream to be a ballerina – Dar Al-saqi, Lebanon
- 2017 My world – Dar Al-saqi, Lebanon
- 2016 Where do I put you? – Dar Al-saqi, Lebanon
- 2015 When my grandmother was a child – Dar Al-bana,Lebanon
- 2015 Adventures of an open window – Dar Al-buragh, Iraq
- 2014 Pe and the wide world – Editora Positivo, Brazil
- 2013 When I open this book – Kalimat, United Arab Emirates
- 2013 Golabatoon and the white horse – Nazar, Tehran, Iran
- 2013 Plume d’Or – Grandir, Nîmes, France
- 2011 Cinderella – Maskewmiler Longman, South Africa
- 2010 La piccola pittrice – Coccole e Caccole, Italy
- 2010 Le Roi Bahram – Grandir, Nîmes, France
- 2008 The Princess – Shabaviz, Tehran, Iran
- 2005 Guest of moon – Elmi Farhangi, Tehran, Iran