Draft:Roshi Rouzbehani

Roshi Rouzbehani (Persian: روشی روزبهانی; born 1985) is an Iranian freelance illustrator, who was born and raised in Tehran, Iran and now based in London, UK. She is known for her powerful editorial and portrait illustrations about social issues.

Early life and education
Roshi was born on September 1985, in Tehran, Iran. She studied Business Management and IT at University of Tehran before emigrating to the United Kingdom in 2011. Facing cultural and language barriers, she was looking for ways to express herself, and decided to develop her own visual language, a language that everyone can understand, to reflect her inner state of how she sees the world as a female Iranian immigrant. Since then, she has constantly been developing her visual language through painting, collage making, jewelry designing, and illustration. She studied illustration at University of Hertfordshire, and Art and Design at University of the Arts London.

Career
Roshi has collaborated with clients such as The New Yorker, The Guardian, The Washington Post, and BBC 100 Women. She is passionate about gender equality, women’s rights, and mental health. Women's empowerment is at the center of her works. She is using art as a powerful tool for change and dialogue. Roshi has participated in many group exhibitions in Europe and Iran and her works have been featured in Creative Boom, Design Week, Middle East Eye, and more. She is the author of 50 Inspiring Iranian Women.

Exhibitions
Group show, Bolognia Jazz Festival, Italy, 2023

Group show, Women, Life, Freedom, Saarland Museum - Modern Gallery, Germany, 2023-24

Group shows considering Women, Life, Freedom movement, US, and Italy, 2022-23

Group show, Au Nom Des Femmes, Galerie Le Bocal, Toulouse, France, June 2021

Group Show, The Blooming Apples, The Burge House, London, UK, August 2019

Group show, Latuvu Gallery, Bages, France, 12-28 April 2019

Group show, Galerie Zone d’Art, Strasbourg, France, 9-24 March 2019

Awards, honors, and residencies
2023: Guardian, ArtReview

2022: Creative Boom, Design Week, Nowruz Journal, The Washington Post 2021: A portfolio of illustrations, International Women’s Day

2021: Middle East Images, ZH Magazine, designers of colour

2020: Middle East Eye, Creative Boom, Pathways (Book of the week), Long listed for World Illustration Awards 2020, Ms. Magazine, Women’s March San Diego Covid19 resources, the University of Hertfordshire School of Creative Arts Alumni showcase

2019: Interview about my book “50 Inspiring Iranian Women”, BBC Persian, IDI website for Social Awareness, Uppercase Magazine, issue 42, Selected website as one of the best online New Blood portfolios in New Blood Festival, Runner-up in Creative Quarterly 56, Honorable mention in 3x3 International Illustration Show No.16 - Student Show, Shortlisted in The Brightness Awards 2019 (Editorial Category)