April 19, 2017

Petra Bjelica

Mehdi GhadyanlooMehdi Ghadyanloo is an Iranian artist and muralist

who gained great recognition and praise in the recent

years. His main works were paintings done in a

Surrealist manner with an otherworldly and silentotherworldly and silent

atmosphere, rendering architectural landscapesatmosphere, rendering architectural landscapes

and images and reflecting on philosophical andand images and reflecting on philosophical and

existential themes.existential themes. Later on, he started being very

successful in doing mural paintings in a bit lighter and

more radiant style. One of his hallmarks is defyingdefying

clichés of Muslim artclichés of Muslim art usually grounded in

calligraphy and geometric patterns He creates a

harmonic fusion of his Persian heritage, tradition,Persian heritage, tradition,

and culture with strong western influences andand culture with strong western influences and

routines.routines.

Mehdi Ghadyanloo – The City of Hope, 2017 – Image courtesy of the artist

Universal Art Created inSpecific CircumstancesGhadyanloo was born in Teheran, Iran in 1981. While

growing up, he lived at the farm in the time of war

with Iraq – experience that had a lasting effect on

him, and that can be traced in his art in the sensessenses

of uncertainty, loss, and reprieve.of uncertainty, loss, and reprieve. Representing

the feelings of his whole generation Mehdi

Ghadyanloo created a unique voice of hope, love, and

melancholy. Ghadyanloo’s wistful and poetic workwistful and poetic work

has a Zen-like tonehas a Zen-like tone, by which he manages to

encompass the notions of only national identity and

bring his art to a higher universal level. Yet, there is

always something mistily threatening – it is notmistily threatening – it is not

clearly depicted, one cannot point a finger to itclearly depicted, one cannot point a finger to it

– but, one almost certainly feels something– but, one almost certainly feels something

ominous under the veil of the eerily beauty.ominous under the veil of the eerily beauty. In

his use of light, Ghadyanloo resembles the artist David

Hockney.

Something ominous under the veil ofthe eerily beauty

Mehdi Ghadyanloo – Genealogy Of isolation (Seclusion), 2017 – Image courtesy of the artist

Influences, Techniques andThemes in MehdiGhadyanloo’s ArtThe minimalistic architecture and surrealistic

environments and arrangements call to mind the

influence of painters such as Giorgio de Chirico,

Magritte, as well as the work of Le Corbusier.

Ghadyanloo uses a specific set of repeated symbols

as stairs, airplanes, and balloons alongside geometric

cubes, spiral staircases, and vast walls. This Iranian

artist is a master in using the light in hismaster in using the light in his

paintings, managing to emphasize the symbolicpaintings, managing to emphasize the symbolic

of his themes and create a specific somberof his themes and create a specific somber

fictional reality that conveys the contemporaryfictional reality that conveys the contemporary

Zeitgeist.Zeitgeist. Yet, he captures the ephemeralthe ephemeral

presence of hope that is so fragile that must bepresence of hope that is so fragile that must be

seen and understood in ironic terms.seen and understood in ironic terms. As an

authentic and true artist, Ghadyanloo offers a fresh

and inspiring vision of the modern condition.

The ephemeral presence of hope is sofragile that must be seen andunderstood in ironic terms

Mehdi Ghadyanloo – Voice Cutoff, 2017 – Image courtesy of the artist

Emerging International StarHe gained a wider public attention after he was

commissioned by the Ministry of Beautification of Iran

to paint walls around the capital Tehran. From 2004 to

2011 to he had done more than hundred painted wall

pieces that are both loved by the public andboth loved by the public and

citizens and art critics and curators.citizens and art critics and curators. It was very

soon he attracted the interest of the international

press, galleries like Richard Howard-Griffin, major

public commissions for murals on Kings Cross and

The Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy in 2016 in

Dewey Square, Boston. In March 2017 he had the first

exhibition in two years entitled Spaces of hopes in the

Howard Griffin Gallery, London. But despite wideBut despite wide

international success Mehdi leaves aninternational success Mehdi leaves an

impression of a modest, caring artist,impression of a modest, caring artist,

committed to his art and the profound relationcommitted to his art and the profound relation

to the world around him.to the world around him.

Mehdi Ghadyanloo lives and works inTehran, Iran.

Featured image: Mehdi Ghadyanloo – Portrait of the artist in

front of his work – Image courtesy of Taiwan News

Mehdi GhadyanlooIran (islamic Republic Of) 1981

Painting, Murals

www.mehdighadyanloo.com

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