Mehrdad Pournazarali | "Tablet; 2014-2016": Dastan's Basement

Dastan’s Basement is pleased to announce the opening of Mehrdad Pournazarali’s solo exhibition titled “Tablet; 2014-2016” on October 7, 2016. The exhibition will be open for public viewing through October23. This is Mehrdad Pournazarali’s second solo exhibition at the Basement. His works have previously been featured in four other solo shows as well as numerous group exhibitions, including “Fearless” curated by Fereydoun Ave, concurrently shown at Lajevardi Foundation in Tehran and Total Arts Gallery in Dubai, UAE.
During his artistic career, Mehrdad Pournazarali has always showed a focus on drawing and the diverse possibilities of this artistic medium in different historical periods. Nevertheless, in addition to using drawing aesthetics, the artist has moved forward to transcend figurative and natural representation into an abstraction in expression. When talking about his works, he believes that “there’s no need for excessive description when it comes to art. Whatever is extracted, is the result of the thought process and the continuous work, that was required by the life [of the artist]. The meticulous eyes of a conscious viewer are enough.”
In his technique, the artist has sought to “achieve fresh possibilities with known materials, and to find new means of expression”. At times, this has caused him to step into an unfamiliar territory, for instance creating glowing highlights amidst dark shadows using watercolor or ink. He has not confined himself to specific materials, using anything from ink to acrylic paint, and bitumen paint to general drawing material. About his artistic process, Mehrdad Pournazarali states “connecting to roots and finding refined and absolutely personal solutions, is the truest method for undertaking a task. This link with true origins, shapes the depth or theme of a perfect work. Today, there is no persistence for a groundbreaking proposal from my side, but rather, the image is placed on view.”