Ashkan Abdoli | "Disposition": +2

+2 presents “Disposition," a solo exhibition of works by Ashkan Abdoli, opening on August 25, 2023. The show will continue through September 22, 2023. This is Ashkan Abdoli’s third collaboration with Dastan after "Encircle the Apple or Shadowlessness" (2019) at V-Gallery (Dastan:Outside Projects). Ashkan Abdoli, a painting graduate from Tehran’s Science and Culture University, has professionally created paintings since the 2000s. Throughout his career, he has drawn significant inspiration from “more Eastern traits in philosophy and thought, especially on paradoxes and contradictions.” 

While the current exhibition mainly includes works on canvases, he has sustained an interest and focus on the materiality of ‘paper’ and his interaction with it, creating drawings that show the individuality of his subjects, deprived of any exposed/obvious thematic approach. Working with paper has allowed him the freedom to experiment and learn through trial and error. He has kept notebooks documenting his inspirations, progressions, and explorations throughout his career. About two years ago, after a decade of working primarily with paper, Abdoli started working on canvases. Its result is now shown in “Disposition,” this experience allowed him to process and explore forms in greater detail. His exhibitions often forgo a subject or theme-based approach but rather seek to present a culmination of his thought and processes. The artist's creative process involves seeking a form that he believes “holds more emotional significance than the actual image before or after its creation.” He dedicates time to studying these forms, believing they play a subconscious role for the viewers.

Ashkan Abdoli has had several solo exhibitions since 2009, including "Mindfulness Chapter Two: Remembrance"(Etemad Gallery, Tehran, 2021) | "Mindfulness" (Etemad Gallery, Tehran, 2018) | "Sedative" (Etemad Gallery, Tehran, 2015) | "Exhale" (Etemad Gallery, Tehran, 2012). His work has also appeared in group shows: "Whom - Online Viewing" (Inja Gallery, Tehran, 2022) | "Black Square" (Emkan Gallery, Tehran, 2021) | "Birds" (Soo Contemporary, Tehran, 2021) | "On Paper" (Etemad Gallery, Tehran, 2020).