About | Fereshteh Najafi | Iranian Illustrator

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