Particularly within his passion projects, there is a “reflection of the grid of a rug and the grid of a computer screen,” which are both on geometry and then “inherently nuanced by the human hand.” “As an adult, I see a lot of parallels in the use of colors, symbology and ornamentation.” he says. Color is a “sensorial experience” for Berahimi, who notes the “vibrancy of the greens” when cooking a sabzi polo or the colors of Iran’s many rug styles. While the design world can often feel lifeless and rigid, Berahimi’s aesthetic is a refreshing spin subconsciously formed by the expressive motifs seen across the history of Iranian art and cuisine. Unlike his friends though, Berahimi felt a general sense of confusion in his formative years, where even something as simple as the frequent mispronunciation of his Iranian name gave him anxiety.īerahimi has made quite the impact on the world of graphic design-branding for Nike, album covers for Toro y Moi and Alicia Keys, a gallery and shop component to his Portland-based studio-you’d be surprised to know that he was a shy child who didn’t even open his eyes to the field until attending college at CalArts. “That was what my graphic sensibility was based on growing up in the suburbs: McDonalds, The Simpsons and NBA jerseys from the ’90s,” he says. Santa Clarita, California is far removed from the Middle East, and like virtually all Americans, Berahimi grew up with fast food, cartoons, video games and basketball. “There are so many first-gen kids out there that didn’t have contemporary representation of their culture.” This is the climate that Berahimi was born into. Tensions with the outside world are high and Iranian citizens fight for basic human rights. Progress turned to peril, peril turned to desolation and for over 40 years, the Islamic Republic of Iran has been mired in disarray. Leaders from all around the world converged in lavish tents set up on the ancient ruins of Persepolis.īy the end of the decade, however, his own empire would lie in ruin, thanks in part to the rise of the exiled clerical leader Ruhollah Khomeini, who galvanized many of the country’s religious clerics – along with Iran’s poor and rural populations, who felt isolated by the Shah’s reforms and brutal rule, as well as the country’s wealth disparity.
On October 14 of that year, the Shah threw an extravagant $635m USD party to celebrate the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian Empire. Prior to this period, the country was seen as a leader in the region-where tradition and modernity were being fused to envision what the new world might look like.Įight years prior, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi, Iran’s last monarch, was rapidly modernizing the country and nursing budding relations with the West. In 1979, Iran experienced what has since become commonplace in the Middle East-socio-political instability, mistrust of the West and a wealth disparity that sparked a revolution whose shockwaves are still being felt.
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