Arash Hanaei Iranian, b. 1978

Arash Hanaei (b. 1978, Tehran, Iran) is a visual artist who lives and works in Paris, France. He holds a BA in Photography from Azad University of Art (2002). Following a series of photography exhibitions, Hanaei's practice makes use of other media to deliver a message, set up a stage, or highlight issues he finds important.

Arash Hanaei uses visual arts outfits to address his socio-political concerns. His different series are a commentary on a kleidoscope of issues: terrorism vs. the war on terror, dislocation and belonging, urban vs. suburban spaces, the impact of the digital age on social inter-action, the influence of market systems and commercial culture, and, since his move to France in 2015, conditions "influenced by emergency states, transitory situations and destinies." In "Capital" (2008-2015) he simplifies photographic scenes in the city of Tehran to a "readable" text. In "Cyclothymia of a Land" (2015-2017) urbanity is eclipsed by a more urgent question: "Can we still grasp the city as a permanent place of residence and what are the instabilities of this description?" In "Pop-up Clouds" (2019), a series of mixed media installation with audio, video, and digital prints, the visitor is transported into a psycho-geographic setting akin to pop-up windows in a computer screen.