1001 colors documents and investigates some of the many forms of artistic expression now taking place in Iran. The 50 works of art reflect a variety of formal and social concerns in paintings that range stylistically from representational to expressionist and almost pure abstraction. Although the subjects of the representational works vary widely, they frequently address the interplay between traditional Iranian cultural heritage and contemporary expression. These tensions are seen in Freydoun Omidi’s minimalist reimagining of Persian calligraphy and the sinuous but carefully controlled line found in Mohammad Rahimi’s works, which are based on millennia-old cave paintings. Paintings by Rezvan Sadeghzadeh present women facing obstacles in a male-dominated society. Pouya Aryanpour’s “floating objects” – abstract and ominous – litter his canvases and suggest untethered, uncontrolled presences.
Several of the featured artists are exhibiting outside Iran for the first time. These artists include Sassan Gharedaghlou, Mohammad Rahimi, Arash Fesharaki, Saba Masoumian, who articulate the aspirations of artists in contemporary Iran and their relationship to their own culture and that of the broader world.
1001 colors: Contemporary Art from Iran is organized and curated by independent art consultant and designer Nina Seirafi.