Iman Raad
Untitled, 2016
Dastan is pleased to announce its first participation at UNTITLED, Art — San Francisco 2017 with a solo presentation of recent works by Iman Raad. The show is presented in a booth fully designed by the artist consisting of new works, a series of “Gol-o-Morgh”-style paintings in a chaotic context with a new approach towards perspective inspired by Persian Miniature.
Iman Raad (b. 1979, Mashad, Iran) started his career as a graphic designer, winning many national and international awards and becoming one of the most celebrated Iranian designers of his generation. Iman Raad’s career in visual arts spans from painting and printmaking to sculptures, installations and performances. His works show both mastery in technique and diversity in approach and content, taking him to study his MFA at the prestigious Yale University School of Art. His art has been featured in tens of exhibitions in the USA, the UK, Europe, the Middle East and his homeland Iran.
The pieces presented at UNTITLED, Art — San Francisco 2017 are from Iman Raad’s 2016 marker on paper and a series of egg tempera on wooden board works. They contain multi-layered allusions to traditional Iranian painting, tiling, and Persian Miniature, as well as references to graphic design and the printing industry. They highlight both the artist’s cultural roots and inspirations, as well as his professional background.
The painterly language of Iman is best seen in his approach. The occasional deliberate errors in delineations, coloring and tiling hint inspirations from press and printmaking. Additionally, the color palette remains limited and the colors are only mixed when applied on top of each other. The representation of perspective clearly resembles that of Persian Miniature, with the birds and the bowls working like the traditional “Gol-o-Morgh” (The Flower and the Bird). They are placed in a chaotic and post-apocalyptic atmosphere with repeated elements and plays in perspective amplify the multi-dimensionality of the works.
