Consisting of some 50,000 verses, the “Shahnameh,” or “Epic of the Persian Kings,” follows the history of the Persian Empire from its mythical origins, and is one of the great classics of world literature. The “Shahnameh’s” stories provided inspiration for many of Asia’s most impressive artistic masterpieces, with an impact that lasted centuries beyond its creation.

This exhibition will display new illustrations of “Shahnameh” episodes by Iranian designer Hamid Rahmanian (b. 1968). Intended to make the epic accessible to the next generation of readers, Rahmanian’s bold and dynamic works seamlessly update the traditional aesthetics of historic “Shahnameh” imagery. Rahmanian takes 15th-19th century Iranian, Mughal Indian, and Ottoman miniature paintings and transforms them through digital editing into an entirely novel way of illustrating the text. In addition to these contemporary works, historic paintings from the Shangri La Museum of Art, Culture & Design will be on view, showing not only how the “Shahnameh” was depicted in classical Persian painting, but also how Rahmanian’s work offers a remarkable reinterpretation of original source material.