Rafa Nasiri is celebrated for his compelling abstract works that drew on nature as a source of inspiration and often include Arabic calligraphy. Influenced by the art of China, most prominently in the technique of ink drawing and the use of negative space, Nasiri brought together deeply saturated colours and fluid gestural lines to create all-encompassing spatial landscapes, which reflect the inner consciousness and his deep interest in poetry. He obtained his BA in Graphics from Baghdad’s Institute of Fine Arts, later continuing his training in China at Beijing’s Central Academy of Fine Arts from 1959 to 1963. He also received a scholarship from the Gulbenkian Foundation at Gravura Lisbon, Portugal in 1967. He was a founding member of the New Vision group formed in Baghdad in response to the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and taught at numerous universities throughout the region. Nasiri was a prolific writer on the history of printmaking in the Arab world, and played an instrumental role in launching the printmaking studio at Jordan’s Darat al Funun during the early 1990s.