'Persian Paradise' by Maryam Firuzi is our Christmas Artwork 2025

Iranian photographer and filmmaker Maryam Firuzi is the creator of this year's artwork, 'Persian Paradise'. Working with her – as an artist and as a woman in her country – has left a profound impression on us and reframed our understanding of happiness.

Iran has existed for seven thousand years, enduring wars, plunder and the rule of destructive kings and dictators. Despite this deep-rooted history of destruction and sorrow, Iranian culture and language have endured.

The reasons are manifold. For Maryam Firuzi, it lies in the philosophy of finding joy in the company of friends. It is the same spirit that, more than two millennia ago, led the Iranian people to lay out gardens in the heart of the desert with the help of qanats, creating oases of joy, contemplation and community.

For centuries, poets have composed their verses beneath the trees and to the song of nightingales, striving to connect with a transcendent realm and, in doing so, enriching the tradition of Iranian mysticism in the most profound of ways.

The artwork با دوستان به بوستان (Persian Paradise) emerged from one of the bitterest moments in contemporary Iranian history — the days following the 12-Day War. It seeks to reframe resistance not as mere defiance, but as a vital act of joyful coming together and celebration.

The work is a fusion of photography, Persian miniature painting and calligraphy. Every figure in the image is an artist and, at the same time, a close friend of Maryam Firuzi.

The characters: Fatemeh & Nafiseh Eslamian, Niloofar Shandiz, Mahsa Hejazi, Sahar Nahavandi, Nahid & Sara Ghahremani, Mahboobe Abedini, Mahboobeh Abedini, Mona Hejazi, Paria Sadeghbeyki, Roya Mazrooei, Elahe Alimohammadi

A painter and a calligrapher also lent their talents to bring the central vision to life.

Graphics: Nahid Ghahremani
Painting: Navideh Rahimi

Rendered in calligraphy, the poem by Hafez — one of the most celebrated of Persian poets — serves as a guiding light. The poem opens with a collective call to action and to meeting complexity with patience and love. It urges us to face life's trials with humility and speaks to the importance of true friends, united in heart and purpose, on life's shared journey.

Calligraphy: Akram Soofi

The Netural Christmas Artwork is an expression of our belief that our fast-paced age needs a counterweight. To us, art is a mirror, a corrective and freedom of the mind. Since 2015, we have given it that space, collaborating each Christmas with an artist whom we have discovered to be outstanding and truly singular.

The brief is 'happiness' – nothing more. Through a free artistic process and a compelling dialogue, the work takes shape. It moves us. It astonishes us. It is something real. We learn what happiness might look like when viewed through a different lens.

More about the multi-award-winning Iranian photographer and filmmaker Maryam Firuzi: http://www.maryamfiruzi.com.