Rafa Nasiri is famous for his abstract works which take nature as their inspiration and often include elements of Arabic calligraphy. Influenced by the art of China, especially in the technique of ink drawing and the use of space, Nasiri brought together deeply saturated colors and flowing gestural lines to create encompassing spatial landscapes, which reflect the inner consciousness and his deep interest in poetry. He received his bachelor's degree in graphic design from the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad, then continued his training in China at the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing from 1959 to 1963. In 1967 he also received a scholarship of the Gulbenkian Foundation in Portugal. He was a founding member of the New Vision group formed in Baghdad in response to the 1967 Arab-Israeli war and has taught at many universities in the region. Nasiri was a prolific writer on the history of printmaking in the Arab world and was instrumental in starting the printmaking workshop in Darat al Funun in Jordan in the early 1990s.