Ebrahim Haghighi Information

Ebrahim Haghigi is an Iranian graphic designer, photographer and art director, born on Mehr 13, 1328 in Tehran. His education is a mathematics diploma in 1346 and a master’s degree in architecture from the faculty of fine arts from Tehran University. He is a member of the International Association of Graphic Designers, the Association of Graphic Designers of Iran, the Association of Children’s Book Illustrators and the Association of Iranian Documentary Filmmakers. He has been the designer of various books and magazines since 1347. He has designed scenes for various films, series and shows. He has created titles for many movies and series. He has held many exhibitions and won many awards. Education: M.A. in Architecture, Faculty of Arts, Tehran University Member of the “Alliance Graphique Internationale” (AGI) Member of the “Iranian Graphic Designers Society” (IGDS) Member of the “Iranian Documentary Film Makers Society” Member of the “Iranian Association for Illustrators of Children’s Book”

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE 1969 Haghighi began working as a graphic designer. His first posters – for the design of which he received 500 rials – were for the weekly performances of Ahmad Joorghanian’s Talash Films. He designed the posters on calque or tracing paper and produced the ozalid the next day and it would be up on the wall by Friday morning. Ahmad Joorghanian had one of the largest collections of films and cinematic posters and established a film club in Tehran’s Boulevard Cinema in the 1960s. At the same time, the Iran Film Center (which had been founded by Farokh Ghafari) and BB (now Payam) Cinema were prominent hubs for screening documentaries and all-time classics. The poster for Rahebeha (Nuns) directed by Daryoosh Moadabian and the cover of Jorge Luis Borges’ El Aleph for Payam Publishers (under the management of Mohammad Nikdast) were among his first works. Haghighi regards the abovementioned poster as his first serious and professional poster designed and describes that, “It was commissioned by Daryoosh Moadabian when we were both freshmen at the university. The two of us had prepared for the university entrance exam together; Moadabian entered the Faculty of Drama and I the Faculty of Fine Arts. Prior to that, I had only begun designing book covers professionally though at a very low price (even nothing)”. 1970 Haghighi designed the stage and poster for Hormoz Hedayat’s play, Roosspieh Bozorgvar (The Generous Prostitute). While studying at the university, he became familiar with the Iran Film Center and collaborated with independent filmmakers. Establishing the Iran Free Cinema Organization (IFCO) in 1969 was a novel movement in Iran’s cinema. The IFCO focused solely on producing and encouraging super 8 films as a serious means of artistic expression and not just for production of family movies. The IFCO was established in Tehran by Bassir Nassabi. Farokh Ghafari and Feraydoon Rahnama were among the filmmakers who supported this initiative and thus the Organization succeeded very soon to receive funds from the National Iranian Radio and Television (NIRT) and set up a center in all provincial capitals. In addition to filmmaking, the IFCO held several festivals for free cinema, screening films, and film weeks. The activities of the Organization continued until 1978 and some of the young filmmakers who cooperated with it included: Bassir Nassibi, Iraj Raminfar, Behnam Jafari, Hassan Banihashemi, Homayoon Pyvar, Kianoosh and Daryoosh Ayari, Zaven Ghookassian, Faramarz Sedighi, Nasser Gholamrezayi, Shahriar Parssipoor, Hormoz Nazemzadeh, and Abolfazl Jalili. Later on, the Center for the Intellectual Development of Children and Young Adult (CIDCYA), the NIRT (through holding the Asian Young Filmmakers Festival), and the Ministry of Culture and Art also provided facilities to young filmmakers. Haghighi directed the 8mm film Chah (The Well) based upon a story by Gholamhossein Saedi in the IFCO. He received the prize for the best photograph from the Exhibition of Culture and Art. 1971 Haghighi worked with Morteza Momayez in the production of the animation An keh Khial Baft, An ke Amal Kard (The One Who Dreamed, the One Who Acted) as commissioned by the CIDCYA. He directed the 8mm film Gharib (Strange) in the IFCO. Farshid Messghali invited him to work with him in the CIDCYA’s graphic design atelier. 1972 Haghighi made the 8mm film Khaneyeh Abri (Cloudy Home) in the IFCO. He wrote, directed, filmed, and edited the film with Iraj Raminfar’s collaboration (the script was published in the IFCO Bulletin No. 4, June 1976). “I knew Iraj Raminfar from school and we sat on the same bench in class. Raminfar’s uncle was Abbas Javanmard (Iraj) and Ms. Partoyi (Nossrat) his uncle’s wife while Bahram Bayzayi was his brother-in-law; he knew stories and plays very well and was an excellent narrator of stories”. The silver prize of the 1st Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) Young Filmmakers was awarded to Haghighi for his film Gharib (Strange). His first film titles were made for Hassan Banihashemi’s Berkeyeh Khoshk (Dry Pond) in the IFCO. 1973 Haghighi directed an 8mm film Anam Arezoost (That, My Wish Is) in the IFCO and the 16mm film the 3rd Children’s Summer Festival in the CIDCYA. He received the silver prize from the 2nd ABU for Khaneyeh Abri (The Cloudy Home). He was also awarded the second prize of the Tehran Free Cinema Festival and the third prize of the Sepas Cinema Festival for the same film. He illustrated the book Kalateh-Nan by Gholamhossein Saedi for Amir Kabir Press. 1974 Haghighi participated in the 1st Tehran International Art Exhibition held in the Iran Center for International Exhibitions, December 21 – January 31. He made the documentary Darsseh Moalem Ar Bood… (Had the Teacher Taught Us…) in the CIDCYA. 1975 Haghighi started making the unfinished 16mm project Mossibateh Kabkha (The Suffering of Partridges) with Hassan Banihashemi as the cameraman, Bahman Zanoozi as the assistant, and Bahram Shahmohammadloo as the actor in the IFCO. He received the honorary diploma of the 17th IFCO Festival. He married Goli Tavakoli who was a student at the University of Tehran Faculty of Fine Arts. Two years later, they worked together on literacy and numeracy textbooks for Amir Kabir (the Shokoofeh series). 1976 Haghighi participated in an exhibition marking 50 years of graphic design in Iran in May. He held the first personal individual exhibition of his works of graphic design in Takhtjamshid Gallery from October 7-12 while the 8th IFCO Festival was being held. He graduated with a master’s degree in architecture from the University of Tehran Faculty of Fine Arts presenting a joint thesis with Gholamreza Motamedi supervised by Mohammad-Amin Mirfenderesky. 1977 Haghighi directed the 16mm documentary Madadkarieh Ejtemayi (Social Work) in the CIDCYA. Once his compulsory military service was over, he took up Mohammad-Reza Jafari’s proposal to establish the graphic design atelier of Amir Kabir Press and, within a short period of time, was able to maintain the completion of the cover design for several books. By this time, Amir Kabir had been able to reach the stage of publishing at least one book per day. Haghighi’s colleagues at the atelier were Marjaneh Tehrani, Azar Bagherzadeh, and Hassan Akbari. The poster Hassani was designed by Haghighi and published in the book Modern Publicity. 1978 Haghighi made the documentary Moalemeh Hameyeh Bachehayeh Eal (The Teacher of All Nomadic Children) profiling Mohammad Bahmanbaygi for the CIDCYA. The books Baroon (The Rain) and Ghesseyeh Darvazeyeh Bakht (The Tale of the Gate of Fortune) which were the prose and poetry of Ahmad Shamloo were illustrated by Haghighi and published by Ketabhayeh Talayi Press (a subsidiary of Amir Kabir). These books were reprinted by two other publishing houses in the 2000s. Upon the reprinting of the book Baroon (The Rain), Changiz Mahmoodzadeh writes that, “The illustrator has juxtaposed the different characters and spaces in the tale such that the mind of the children reading the stories can go wandering and see parts of the story or complete each of its parts with their own creativity in every section of the paintings. Another point that Haghighi has incorporated for the illustration of the poetry in Baroon (The Rain) is the turning of the illustrations (while seeing the book) in all directions. He himself sees the reason for this in the way children look at the book: when children draw, the page has no directions for them and they turn the page anyway they want and draw on them. Hence, there is no difference for them when looking at a drawing and they hold the book in any mode in their hands. For the very same reason, the illustrations of the book have been considered in four directions by Haghighi deliberately”. He participated in the International Biennial of Graphic Design Brno in Czechoslovakia. In the fall of the same year, he left to study in Edinburgh. 1979 Haghighi returned to Iran in April. Together with Hormoz Riahi, he established an office where Saba Gallery (which belonged to Kamran Katoozian) was located. Amir Kabir Press was closed in this period and the CIDCYA was hardly organized as was the case with many governmental institutions. Book publication, however, had grown significantly and Haghighi was busy designing covers, illustrating, and paginating books. Some of his works were published without his signature during this time. The trend of designing posters commissioned by political groups and/or artists themselves with no one placing them as orders and through their own funds (such as the works of the three Shishegaran brothers: Koroosh, Behzad, and Essmayil) which had come about in the wake of the Revolution did continue for a couple of years. Some artists designed and published their works without their signature. Haghighi was approached by Morteza Momayez to teach courses of graphic design at the Faculty of Fine Arts. He was the assistant of the Asian Graphic Design Exhibition (with Morteza Momayez as the secretary); one of his works went on display at this event. Haghighi illustrated and prepared the pages of the 15-27 editions (November 15, 1979 – February 21, 1980) of Ketabeh Jomeh (The Friday Book) weekly edited by Ahmad Shamloo (previously edited by Alireza Esspahod). 1980 With the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War and also the Cultural Revolution, academic and educational centers were closed down. Haghighi was assistant director to Varooj Karim-Massihi in the production of his short film Salandar (Confused). He participated in the the International Biennial of Graphic Design Brno in Czechoslovakia. 1981 Haghighi worked as the assistant to the set designer Khorshidi in designing part of the stage of the Bashtin Square and also the scenes in the city of Kashan for the TV series Sarbedaran. The production of the series directed by Mohammad-Ali Najafi ended in 1984. He designed the preliminary set and also the costumes for Daryoosh Farhang’s TV series Soltan va Shaban (The Sultan and the Shepherd). Following a halt in the production, Iraj Raminfar redesigned the set. He started working in the advertisement magazine Rahnamayeh Iraneh Emrooz (Guide to Iran Today) published by Mohammad-Ali Nazemi. 1982 Following the reopening of the universities, Haghighi returned to the University of Tehran Faculty of Fine Arts and continued teaching until the 2000s at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) College and Islamic Azad University. His son Ojan was born. He worked in (and later on headed) the toy and furniture design section of Sam Producers – run by Kamal Ramezani – which designed and produced clothes, toys, and furniture for children and adolescents. He participated in the International Biennial of Graphic Design Brno in Czechoslovakia. 1983 When Sam Producers was closed, Haghighi began working with Arapik Baghdassarian in Nooredin Zarinkelk’s atelier and designed posters, brochures, boxes, and labels for the generic medicines of Daroopakhsh Pharmaceuticals. He was asked by Bahram Raypoor and Jamal Omid to design the poster for the 2nd Fajr International Film Festival. Later on, he designed the logo, catalogue, promotion materials, and the Silver Simorgh Award of the Festival. He set up a workshop in Lorca Advertisement Photography Studio run by Massood Massoomi and worked on both Lorca’s orders and his own. 1984 He participated in the International Biennial of Graphic Design Brno in Czechoslovakia. One of his works was published in Graphis Annual 1984. 1985 Haghighi made 10 episodes in the TV animation series Ali Koochooloo (Little Ali) produced by Hassan Tehrani. He went to Dubai to work with Hassan Banihashemi but returned in the spring of 1986. Another work of his was published in Graphis Annual 1985. 1986 Haghighi made a series of one-minute productions called Ta Farda (Until Tomorrow) for the IRIB. He also designed the cinema billboard for the aforementioned film. In the words of Mr. Khamssepoor who printed cinema posters of those days with the silkscreen method, this was the last cinema billboard which was produced through this method. He participated in the International Biennial of Graphic Design Brno in Czechoslovakia. 1987 Haghighi made a documentary on the Saipa Auto Plant in collaboration with Sayid Behroozi with Mohammad Aladpoosh as the cinematographer and Abbas Ganji the editor. Adineh (Friday) became a monthly as of its 11th edition (May 5) and Haghighi designed the covers. He made the trailer for Massood Jafari’s Jadehayeh Sard (Cold Roads) which won an award in the 6th Fajr International Film Festival. He participated in the 1st Annual Exhibition of Graphic Designers and won the prize for the best cover design for the book Otelo (Othello). The 1st Annual Exhibition of Graphic Designers in June in the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art was in effect the first of graphic design biennales featuring the works of graphic designers in different fields and became an international biennale of posters as of its eighth event in 2004. Haghighi was among the jurors of the promotion materials section of the Festival for a few years. He received the diploma for the best poster design in the 5th International Fajr Film Festival for the film Tatooreh (Thorn Apple) directed by Kyoomarss Poorahmad. 1988 One of Haghighi’s works was presented in the Warsaw International Poster Exhibition. Through the efforts of Parvaz Press in the 2nd Tehran International Book Fair, the selected designs of the books of 1984-1988 were chosen by Ebrahim Haghighi, Ghobad Shiva, and Morteza Momayez. The books Otelo (Othello), Jazireh (Island), and Yek Bastar va Do Roya (One Bed and Two Dreams) designed by Haghighi were among the selected works. Together with Sayid Behroozi, he established Tarh va Tassvir (Design and Image) Company. 1989 Golestan Gallery was the venue for Haghighi’s individual exhibition October 11-21 including his batik paintings. He participated in the 2nd Biennale of Iranian Graphic Designers and received an award for the collection of his works. In November, he participated in the 1st Exhibition of Children’s Books Illustrators. 1990 Designing the poster for the puppet show Haft Khaneh Rostam (Rostam’s Seven Labors) directed by Homa Jedikar marked Haghighi’s return to theater poster design after a ten-year gap. 1991 Haghighi designed the set and costumes for Mohammad-Ali Najafi’s feature film Gozaresheh yek Ghatl (Report of a Murder). He participated in the 1st Biennale of Iran’s Painters, November 18 – December 18. He was a member of the selection panel of the 1st Asian Exhibition on the Works of Children’s Books Illustrators with one of his works being on display in this event. He participated in the Iranian Cinema Posters Exhibition in Austria. He took part in the Exhibition on Portrait in Contemporary Art held in the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. His Ab, Bad, Khak (Water, Wind, Dust) and Hamoon film posters were nominated for the awards of the Cheaumont Film Poster Festival in France. In this year, the MacIntosh LC2 computer series entered the Iranian market and Haghighi and his brother Ali bought one immediately and began producing designs with it. In the early days, the designs were made manually and then executed by computer; gradually, of course, work with hand was put aside completely and all the stages of the work were completed by computer. 1992 Haghighi was one of the jurors of the 3rd Biennale of Iranian Graphic Designers He displayed the manual prints of linoleum engravings in Golestan Gallery during February 13-19. 1993 Haghighi presented his designs alongside Bahram Dabiri’s paintings in Abi Atelier in the city of Babol. His paintings were on display in Golestan Gallery during September 29 – October 6. He participated in the pastel painting group exhibitions held in the 20 galleries of the 20 districts of the Municipality of Tehran. He assumed the design, art processing, and supervision of the publication of the books Chehreha (Images) which were Maryam Zandi’s photographs. The first volume was published in this year while the second, third, and fourth came out in 1994, 1997, and 2004, respectively. 1994 A collection of Haghighi’s posters (1971-1991) were on display in Arya Gallery, January 1-8. He participated in a group painting exhibition in Golestan Gallery in July. His father passed away in July. His works were on display in the non-competition section of the 4th Biennale of Iranian Graphic Designers. One of his works was published in the book Who Is Who in Graphic Design. 1995 An exhibition was held in St. Etienne (France) in April to commemorate 25 years of Haghighi’s works. An exhibition of his paintings on the photographs of painters’ faces taken by Maryam Zandi was held in Golestan Gallery, May 15-22. These works were called Akashi (Paintography). Foreworded by Morteza Momayez, he sponsored and published the book Neshanehayeh Haghighi: Majmooeyeh Neshanehayeh Farhangi va Tejarati, 1350-1373 (Haghighi’s Logos: Collection of Cultural and Commercial Logos, 1971-1994). The book was updated and reprinted in 2003 and 2004. 1996 Mohammad-Ali Tallebi’s Ticktack won the Silver Simorgh Award in the 14th Fajr International Film Festival for its film poster designed by Haghighi. An exhibition of his seriography (silkscreen) was held under the title of Az Raheh Abrisham (From the Silk Road) in Arya Gallery, October 10-18. In his commentary about this exhibition, Hamid Rahmati writes that Haghighi has paid step-by-step attention to a specific technical experience and thinks of a specific quality and outcome in each stage of his work. While he was more inclined towards diversity, intensity, and classification of colors in his early works, he became more involved with the graphic possibilities of silkscreen later on. In his subsequent experience, he creates samples of action painting and semi-abstract illustrations of contemporary poets. His works were on display in the non-competition section of the 5th Biennale of Iranian Graphic Designers. He worked as the head of the graphic design atelier of Gholamreza Motamedi’s Urban Information Processing Company for some time. 1997 A collection of Haghighi’s seriography (silkscreen) on his calligraphic illustrations was on display in Golestan Gallery, December 17-23. He recounts that, “The preliminary sketches were with traditional calligraphy pens or special fountain pens on paper which were changed and/or colored after being scanned with different software. Ultimately, they were readied for silkscreen print once the separate films were taken”. In a talk with Massood Khayam, he explains about the exhibition that, “It is common practice to write the poetry of Nima, Sohrab, Akhavan, Shamloo, and Foroogh in the same ancient manner that they write the verses of Sadi, Hafez, and Nezami. If the language of contemporary poetry is a novel one, then it requires a new representation. In addition, is the language of Nima and Sohrab the same? Is there no difference between the language of Foroogh and Akhavan? Each of these poems and even any other independent poem has its own visual capacity”. One of Haghighi’s works was presented in the Cheaumont Theater Poster Exhibition in France. The Iranian Graphic Designers Guild was established and Haghighi was elected by the Board of Directors as the Treasurer in the first two terms. Haghighi became a member of the Iranian Society of Documentarians. He carried out his first project with Markaz Press by designing the cover of the book Andishehayeh Husserl which is a Farsi translation of Husserl by David Bell. 1998 Haghighi made the backstage for Hamid Samandarian’s documentary Dayereyeh Gachieh Ghafghazi (The Caucasian Plaster Circle). One of his works was presented at the Exhibition of the Reflection of Tradition on Iran’s Modernist Painting in the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. He was the juror for the Printing Industry Festival held by the Ministry of Islamic Guidance and Culture General Bureau of Printing and Publication. 1999 Haghighi designed the stage, costumes, and light for Hamid Samandarian’s play Bazieh Strindberg (The Strindberg Game). He put on display a collection of gabbehs that Fars Ghashghai nomads had woven by hand based on his designs in a private show, May 13-16. The preliminary designs had started from the winter of 1996 and assigned to the Ardakpan tribe of the Ghashghai nomads in the spring of 1998. The brochure of this private show states that the idea of using different forms and gaining experience in the original indigenous and applied methods of implementing artistic designs which is among artists’ constant concerns has caused these productions to go beyond the commercial structure of production and sale and be presented as a different collection of art. Haghighi was a member of the panel of jurors in the 6th Biennale of Iranian Graphic Designers with one of his works on display in the event. His calligraphic illustrations were on display in Golestan Gallery, November 23-30. As he notes himself, “The whole collection was produced by Photoshop and Freehand and printed once the films were prepared and colors determined”. He established Haftrang Press. He started working as a design consultant with Kalleh Dairy Products; this collaboration continued until 2011. He joined Iran Novin Advertising Agency as a design consultant and has been with them since. In 1999, the Iran House of Artists was founded through the sponsorship of the Ministry of Islamic Guidance and Culture and the Municipality of Tehran. In addition to conducting exhibition and display activities, this institution is also the Secretariat of Iranian Art Guilds. 2000 In February, one of Haghighi’s works was on display in a group painting exhibition in Kiev, Ukraine. He participated in a group painting exhibition in Washington, D.C. in April. Some of his works were displayed in a group exhibition of hand print in Arya Gallery. He designed the stage and lighting of Hadi Marzban’s play Hemasseyeh Enghelabeh Sang (The Epic of the Revolution of Stone). A selection of his book cover designs over 30 years were exhibited by Nazar Press in the Aryan Branch of Book City under the title of Az Aleph ta Tarikheh Honar (From El Aleph to the History of Art). Morteza Momayez delivered a speech in the inauguration of this exhibition. He was one of the jurors of the 7th Press Festival in August. Haghighi was elected as the Vice-Chair of the Iranian Graphic Designers’ Guild in the second term of the Board of Directors. He received the award for the best titles for Rakhshan Banietemad’s Zireh Poosteh Shahr (Under the Skin of the City) in the 4th Feast of the House of Cinema. 2001 Haghighi made a documentary called Mianeh Lahzeha va Hamisheha (Amidst the Moments and the Always) on the life and works of painter and sculptor Sayid Shahlapoor. Haftrang Press published the book Akashi (Paintography), a collection of the paintographies of Maryam Zandi and Ebrahim Haghighi. He became a member of the Alliance Graphique Internationale (AGI). 2002 Golestan Gallery held an exhibition of Haghighi’s calligraphic illustrations and handmade glasses during January 18-24. He took part in an exhibition of Iranian graphic designers in Echirolles, France under the title of Faryadeh Irani (The Iranian Cry). His handmade glasses were displayed again in Golestan Gallery. 2003 Haghighi was the Secretary of the 8th Tehran International Biennale of Posters. He received the jury prize in Belgium for his poster Hameyeh Enssanha Barabarand (All Humans Are Equal). He was elected as the Honorary Member of the Cultural and Artistic Society of Illustrators. He participated in a group exhibition of Iranian graphic designers titled Faryadeh Irani 2 (The Iranian Cry 2) in Cheaumont, France. 2004 In March, Haghighi’s book Khatnegareha (Calligraphic Illustrations) was published by Haftrang Press with a foreword by Mohammad-Ebrahim Jafari and conversations with Morteza Momayez, Rooyin Pakbaz, Sayid Shahlapoor, and Nossratolah Mosslemian. His handmade glasses were on display once again in the Niavaran Branch of Book City. He participated in the Biennale of the World of Islam Posters. He was the Juror of the Bank Melli Iran and Environment Poster Competition. In October, he took part in a group exhibition of Iranian video arts titled Partohayeh Abi (Blue Rays) in Appejay Media Gallery in New Delhi. He was a juror of the 1st Global Prize of Monotheistic Religions for Photography. He participated in the group exhibition of Iranian graphic designers titled Faryadeh Irani 3 (The Iranian Cry 3) in La Louvière Belgium. One of his works was selected by Milton Glaser and published in The Design of Dissent (a collection of the works of graphic designers). 2006 Haghighi joined the Iranian Photographers Association. He became a member of the Council of Policymaking and Planning of the Special School of Visual Arts. Haftrang Press published his book Posterhayeh Tatreh Ebrahim Haghighi 1348-1384” (Ebrahim Haghighi’s Theater Posters: 1969-2005). In the Introduction of the book, he writes that, “A theater poster is commissioned to a graphic designer by its director at the beginning of or midway into the rehearsals. The designer is reliant upon the script and then the performance and procedure of the director. A classical text may have a modern theme of performance or a modern text may be staged differently from what the playwright has written. Designers of theater posters in Iran are entangled with low budget both in terms of their wages and for printing. Very few posters are larger than the 50 х 70 cm size. I have thus been lucky to have been able to design and print some posters in four colors or even have the luxury of photography and execution by slides”. Nazar Press published his book Gozideyeh Assareh Gerafikeh Haghighi: Poster, Neshaneh, Jeldeh Ketab,… 1348-1385” (Selected Graphic Designs of Haghighi: Posters, Logos, Book Covers,… 1969-2006). An exhibition of Haghighi’s posters was held in Vijeh Gallery, June 24 – July 3. He was a juror of the Art of Resistance Festival in Tehran’s Museum of Contemporary Art. He was a juror of the Youths’ Art Festival in the Art Seminary of the Department of Islamic Propagation. He served as a juror in the contest for designing the logo of the Global Olympics for Urban Planning in the IRI Academy of Art and UN-HABITAT. He was elected as the Chair of the Board of Directors of the Iranian Graphic Designers Guild for the fourth term (2006-2009). In the same period, he was one of the members of the Higher Council of the Iranian House of Artists and worked as an advisor with this institution in subsequent years. He began working with the Public Relations Division of Bank Maskan as a design consultant and continued until 2010. 2007 Together with Firooz Shafeyi, Majid Abbassi, and Mostafa Assadolahi, Haghighi held the Iranian Typography Exhibition in the University of Basel, Switzerland in May. The book of this exhibition featuring Haghighi’s speech in the opening ceremony was published by Nazar Press. Haghighi was a member of the Selection Committee and the Art Secretary of the 1st Global Prize of Monotheistic Religions for Poster in January. He was the art director and designer of the 24th Fajr International Film Festival. He was a juror of the 8th Tehran International Poster Biennale. In the 2nd Biennale of the World of Islam Posters and also the 1st Contest for Sustainability Poster, he was a juror. He was a juror of the Promotion Materials Section of the 11th Feast of the House of Cinema. A tribute to Haghighi was held on December 18 in the city of Kerman’s Emad Hall by the Secretariat of Commemorating the Elite of Iranian Art and the Honareh Hashtom (Eighth Art) Advertisement Center. He was the art director and graphic designer of the book Memaraneh Iran: Jeldeh Aval (Iran’s Architects: Vol. 1) published by Nazar Press. 2008 Haghighi held an exhibition of his works in Dubai’s 4 Wall Gallery in June. He displayed his new calligraphic illustrations in Day Gallery during November 22 – December 1 where he had selected 23 poems by Hafez. A tribute to Haghighi for 40 years of work was held in the IRI Academy of Arts on November 16. He participated in the Sharjah Calligraphy Biennale and received the First Prize of the Innovation Section. 2009 Markaz Press published his book Mashghayeh Khatnakhordeh (Homeworks Not Checked by the Teacher). These short stories are in a sense a memoirs of Haghighi’s childhood. He made the short film Sefreh 1 (Book 1). He was elected as an Honorary Member of the Cultural Heritage Photographers Association. An exhibition of his posters was held in Cyprus’ Eastern Mediterranean University. 2010 Haghighi presented his photographs of 1969-1974 under the title of Aksayeh Safar (Photographs of Travels) in Day Gallery. The film critic Hooshang Golmakani wrote that, “These photographs were an emphasis on the same taste that we all knew as having existed in Haghighi the graphic designer. His urbanity and modesty, nobility and tastefulness, and being free from any hollow effects and screams. The long shot nature of all the photos also demonstrate another aspect of Haghighi’s perspective and conceptualization”. The book Roo be Roo: Goftegooyeh Ebrahim Haghighi ba Morteza Momayez (Face-to-Face: Conversation of Ebrahim Haghighi and Morteza Momayez) was published by Khojasteh Press. While having been a member of the Founding Board of the Iranian Theater Poster Designers Association, he was elected as the Chair of the Board. He made the films Dar Setayesheh 70 Salegi (Commemorating Being 70) to be screened in the tributes for Idin Aghdashloo, Mohammad Ehssayi, and Abbas Kiarostami and Hameyeh Medad Rangihayeh Man (All My Color Pencils) for the tribute of Ahmad-Reza Ahmadi. He was the art director of the book Ketabeh Aali: Gozideyeh Assareh Ahmad Aali (The Aali Book: Selected Works of Ahmad Aali) published by Nazar Press. He took part in the group exhibition of posters in the Eastern Mediterranean University in Cyprus and delivered a speech. He was a juror of the Promotion Materials Section of the 14th Feast of the House of Cinema. 2011 Deed Press published Haghighi’s Harfayeh Tekrari (Repetitious Words) including a collection of his articles. He held his second exhibition of photographs under the title of Hassrateh Dornaha (The Longing of Cranes) in the Iranian House of Artists Momayez Gallery, June 11-16. The Photos in this series were taken in the greenhouse of the Istanbul City Garden with the title of the exhibition inspired by an Ahmad Shamloo poem. He made a film of a conversation with Idin Aghdashloo in November on the occasion of the publication of his book 100 Sal Elan va Postereh Film dar Iran (100 Years of Fim Posters and Trailers in Iran). He became a member of the Iranian Society of Architectural Treasures. He was a juror of the Promotion Materials Section of the 15th Feast of the House of Cinema. 2012 Haghighi was elected as a juror of the 30th Fajr Theater Festival Poster Section in January. He began teaching a course on poster design in Cyprus’ Eastern Mediterranean University. A collection of his photos titled Tabiateh Bijan (Still Life) was put on display in Aran Gallery during April 21 – May 4. This collection was compiled through a look onto classical still life paintings in which there were severed heads of sheep and dead fish alongside vases of flower and pomegranates. In his commentary appearing in the exhibition brochure which was titled Khoshoonateh Shaeraneh (Poetic Violence), Mahmood-Reza Bahmanpoor wrote that, “What does the artist’s attempt to approach the forms of Renaissance still life paintings and finding distant and close similarities with the post-Middle Ages era bring to the mind of the audience? Indeed, Ebrahim Haghighi’s photographic narrative of this selection is a vivid one which does not rely all that much on decoding symbols. The crucial question, nevertheless, is that amidst a day and age when the experience of violence and confrontation with its abominable representation is clear for the global community and the degree of this violence has extended within various social structures, how would such an approach by an artist contribute to the society? At the same time, would taking photos of heads of beasts which were severed by butchers as commissioned by the artist not be regarded as a violent approach thereby transforming the role of Ebrahim Haghighi from an artist to an executor and subsequently a presenter of violence? Haghighi has displayed an ugly image as such that we should all abstain while being its audience – be it advertently or inadvertently – and even bearing a role in it at times. Haghighi’s images of still life, the arrangement, and symbols are in an apparent conflict with the philosophy of this interpretation in Renaissance art as the painters of this period were inspired by fruits, foods, objects, and the prey set on the table in the process of creating their works of still life. Artists would manifest their capability in such works with freedom of action and thus create a beautiful work which despite all the violence it bore within it would not reveal an image of the violence of the hunt. The right background was as important as the right pretext for artists who were not negligent of both. A similar approach is also visible in Haghighi’s still life collection such that the backgrounds in his works albeit simple and unimportant have importance. True it is that the pretexts and lightings express his goals clearly but he draws our attention to backgrounds consciously as we are confronted with intelligent arrangements and lightings which were ultimately in conflict with background and doubly amplified the importance of the main theme. In effect, these images illustrate a poetic violence which is not dissimilar to our times of contradictions. Indubitably, had the images of Haghighi been together with utensils filled with fruits and flowers of the four seasons, they would have portrayed a trivial poeticness. With the present arrangement, however, the artist has depicted a violence with a touch of poetry which is the unanswered contradiction of our times as if the role of each and every single one of us is an inevitable reality in the promotion of violence”. He was a juror in the 1st Flag Festival Poster Section. His Sefreh 1 (Book 1) photography collection was presented in the Isfahan Otagheh Abi Gallery, December 15-20. He joined the Veteran Artists Institute. He was a member of the Board of Founders and Board of Directors of the Common Heritage Studies Institute. 2013 On October 7, the Municipality of Tehran Department of Culture and Art held a birthday gathering for Haghighi in Imam Ali Museum. The event A Special Day with Ebrahim Haghighi: Up, Close, and Personal was held on October 11 in Vijeh Art School where his works were on display and Hooshang Golmakani and Majid Abbassi delivered speeches. A collection of his calligraphic illustrations under the title of Man va Matisse va Khayam (Me and Matisse and Khayam) was held in Golestan Gallery, October 18-23.