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about the artist
Meet Zi, the artist behind Zistan.
I'm Zi, an illustrator based in Berlin. I draw faces, profiles, gestures, and small characters until they begin to feel like they have a life of their own.
Zistan grew from that drawing practice. A line from a sketchbook becomes something you can hold or wear, while keeping the mood, expression, and little imperfections of the original character.
Every object is connected to my own visual language and made one by one. The objects live here; my illustration, painting, and wider portfolio continue at zishamloo.art.
the name
To live. To give an object a small life.
Zistan means “to live.” It also begins with Zi — the artist behind the work.
The name holds the central idea of the studio: a small object can carry a face, a colour, a story, or a character into everyday life. Zistan is that world, created by Zi Shamloo in Berlin.
illustration becomes wearable
The characters live on paper first.
Loose drawings, one finished object, and the human scale of wearing it all belong to the same story.
warm · intimate · alive
The small differences are part of the character.
Zistan keeps the searching quality of drawing visible, even when the line becomes an object.
see Zi's illustration work →