Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
Nov 15, 2018 - Jan 27, 2019
MA, Tehran University, Tehran
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Tehran, b.1980
Mehdi Farhadian
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Mehdi Farhadian’s paintings effectively integrate abstract and figurative features to create dreamlike, visually stunning landscapes and city views, inhabited by people and animals commonly engaged in enigmatic acts. His personal style fuses realistic, expressive and fictional narratives, providing a potent vehicle for his highly personal subject matters, which typically demonstrate his deep concern for Iranian contemporary history. This historical approach addresses political highlights and the everyday life experienced collectively. His characteristic iconography originates from sources such as the overflowing vegetation of the Khazar bank in Northern Iran, famous Iranian buildings, and recent historical figures. It is this orchestrated variety that makes up Farhadian’s entirely subjective original imagery.
His style of painting combines a great resect for details with a powerful handling of contrasting visual effects achieved by pouring and dripping...
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Biography
Mehdi Farhadian’s paintings effectively integrate abstract and figurative features to create dreamlike, visually stunning landscapes and city views, inhabited by people and animals commonly engaged in enigmatic acts. His personal style fuses realistic, expressive and fictional narratives, providing a potent vehicle for his highly personal subject matters, which typically demonstrate his deep concern for Iranian contemporary history. This historical approach addresses political highlights and the everyday life experienced collectively. His characteristic iconography originates from sources such as the overflowing vegetation of the Khazar bank in Northern Iran, famous Iranian buildings, and recent historical figures. It is this orchestrated variety that makes up Farhadian’s entirely subjective original imagery.
His style of painting combines a great resect for details with a powerful handling of contrasting visual effects achieved by pouring and dripping paint. By combining abstract and expressive techniques, his meticulous skill and particular subject matter have saved him a distinctive place in Iranian contemporary painting.
Mehdi Farhadian lives in an old, historically charged neighborhood in Tehran where he was born in 1980. He received his MA in painting at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Tehran. Since 2010, he has taught painting and drawing at Elm o Farhang University, (Science and Culture), Tehran. Select exhibitions include ART CAPITAL (Comparison), Grand Palais, 2016, Paris (France); The Great Game, Iran Pavilion, La Biennale di Venezia 2015, Venice (Italy); Magic of Persia, Royal College of Arts, 2011, London (UK); and Iran Inside Out, Chelsea Museum, 2009, New York. In 2017 Farhadian had a residency with the Delfina Foundation in London. His work is in the permanent collection of the British Museum, among other institutions.
Artworks
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Inflated Lion
2018
Acrylic on canvas
78⁷/₈x 122 in. (200 x 310 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
Nocturnal Vistas
2018
Acrylic on canvas
71 x 51¼ in. (180 x 130 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
Abandoned Airport
2018
Acrylic on canvas
37 x 47¼ in. (94 x 120 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
Championship Workout
2018
Acrylic on canvas
25⅝ x 35⅜ in. (65 x 90 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
The Peace Girls
2018
Acrylic on canvas
25⅝ x 35⅜ in. (65 x 90 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
The Youth of the Homeland
2018
Acrylic on canvas
25⅝ x 35⅜ in. (65 x 90 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
Drops
2018
Acrylic on canvas
39⅜ x 45¼ in. (100 x 115 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
Artillery Square
2018
Acrylic on canvas
25⅝ x 35⅝ in. (65 x 90 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
Technical Defect
2018
Acrylic on canvas
37 x 47¼ in. (94 x 120 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
Stagnant Air
2018
Acrylic on canvas
47¼ x 39⅜ in. (120 x 100 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
Technical Defect 2
2018
Acrylic on canvas
71 x 51¼ in. (180 x 130 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
The Fall of Peace
2018
Acrylic on canvas
71 x 51¼ in. (180 x 130 cm.)
Courtesy of the artist and Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
Inflated Lion, 2018
RELATED CATEGORIES
Acrylic on Canvas / Acrylic Painting / City Scenes / Contemporary History / Everyday life / Historical Approach / Historical Buildings / Historical Figures / History / Iran / Iranian Contemporary History / Painting / Political Issues / Symbol / Symbolic Painting
CURRICULUM VITAE
Education
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2008
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2005
BA, Tehran University, Tehran
Solo Exhibitions
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2018
Parade Square, Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
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2016
Sanctums of Decision, Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
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2014
Fires & Flowers, Mah Art Gallery, Tehran
Group Exhibitions
-
2016
ART CAPITAL (Comparison), Grand Palais, Paris
-
2015
Iran Art Now!, Setareh Gallery, Dusseldorf
-
The Great Game, Iran pavilion, Venice Biennale, Venice
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Curriculum Vitae
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To access the artist’s full CV, please click the download button at the end.
Education
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2008
MA, Tehran University, Tehran
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2005
BA, Tehran University, Tehran
Solo Exhibitions
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2018
Parade Square, Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
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2016
Sanctums of Decision, Richard Taittinger Gallery, New York
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2014
Fires & Flowers, Mah Art Gallery, Tehran
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2013
A Miracle for the Whole World, Lawrie Shabibi Gallery, Dubai
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2011
BAHARESTAN, Mah Art Gallery, Tehran
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2009
Untitled, Mah Art Gallery, Tehran
Group Exhibitions
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2016
ART CAPITAL (Comparison), Grand Palais, Paris
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2015
Iran Art Now!, Setareh Gallery, Dusseldorf
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The Great Game, Iran pavilion, Venice Biennale, Venice
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2012
The Sea, XVA Gallery, Dubai
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2011
Magic of Persia, Royal College of Arts, London
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Magic of Persia Contemporary Art Prize, Traffic Gallery, Dubai, UAE
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2010
Landscape, Aaran Gallery, Tehran
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To Paint Cinema, Mohsen Gallery, Tehran
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2009
In the Mood for Paper, F2 Gallery, Beijing
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Iran Inside Out, Chelsea Museum, New York
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Iran on Paper, The Last 10 Years (from Fereydoon Ave’s “LAAL” collection), Aaran Gallery, Tehran
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Iran/Painting/Now, Silk Road Gallery, Tehran
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Iran Without Border, Galerie Almine Rech, Paris
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Movers & Shakers in Contemporary Iranian Art, LTMH Gallery, New York
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2007
Radical Drawing 1, Azad Art Gallery, Tehran
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Radical Drawing 2, Tehran Gallery, University of Tehran, Tehran
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Four Young Artists, Mah Art Gallery, Tehran
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Song of Bulbuls (Nightingales) of the Oil Rich Regions, Museum of Contemporary Art, Isfahan, Iran
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2005
Selected Contemporary Iranian Realist & Hyperrealist Art, Niavaran Cultural Center, Tehran
Bibliography
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2014
KESHMIRSHEKAN, Hamid. Contemporary Iranian Art: New Perspectives. London: Saqi Books, 2014
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GRIGOR, Talin. Contemporary Iranian Art: From the Street to the Studio. London: Reaktion Books, 2014
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2011
HOMAYOUN EISLER, Maryam. Canvas, Vol. 7: April 2011
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2010
KAMRANI, Behnam. “The Territory of Multicolour Fears: A Look At Mehdi Farhadian’s Work.” Art Tomorrow: Contemporary Art Quarterly, No. 2, Summer 2010
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EIGNER, Saeb. Art of the Middle East: Modern and Contemporary Art of the Arab World and Iran. London: Merrell Publishers, 2010
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2009
DOWNEY, Anthony, Hamid Keshmirshekan, and Mark Irving. Different Sames: New Perspectives in Contemporary Iranian Art. Ed. Hossein Amirsadeghi. London: Thames & Hudson, 2009
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2008
DARABI, Helia. “Beyond Nostalgia.” Etemaad Newspaper, No. 1617. 17 February 2008