Farrokh Mahdavi

Farrokh Mahdavi (b. 1970, Tehran, Iran) is amongst the most prolific painters of his generation in Iran, with his works being easily distinguished through the use of unique pinkish hues and his recognizable technique where he aims to reach "a more material meaning" by "omitting the impurities", defamiliarizing the well-known facial elements, and crossing over "cliché definitions".
His works emphasize his depiction of the fleshy pink color, a color that covers his figures and allows to "render a more general depiction of human beings devoid of stereotypes of gender and of race".
The faces in Mahdavi's work concentrate on features such as the eyes or the lips, and the rest are covered by thick layers of pink paint, accurately expressing the emotions of his characters. He tries to specify forms and conditions without directly depicting anything additional to that as he believes it deviates from the main point.
Farrokh Mahdavi's work has been shown in Iran and abroad in major exhibitions such as "City Prince/sses" at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris, 2019 and the Iranian Pavilion in Venice Biennale, 2015.