DUBAI – Pro Art Gallery, synonymous with innovative art and collectibles is proud to present the opening of its next exhibition titled “Iranian Art Exhibition.” The exhibition will highlight the works of various Iranian artists from March 13 to April 4 at the Pro Art Gallery located at Palm Strip Shopping Mall on Jumeirah Beach Road. “Iranian Art Exhibition” will bring together the works of talented artists — Asal Fallah, Nima Hashemian, Sasan Nasarnia, Mohammad Mehdi Tabatabaie, Seyed Amin Bagheri, Afshin Chizari and Masoumeh Bakhtiyari to name a few. Emerging from different art schools the exhibition will feature their diverse practices, influences and approaches to showcase the beauty of the Iranian Art. Adding to the current flourishing Persian art scene which is a buzzing mixture of different conceptual and cultural styles, Pro Art Gallery is excited to introduce the works of talented upcoming new artists such as Mohammad Khalili, Lili Derakhshani and Gizila Varga Sinaie. Tatiana Faure, Director of ProArt Gallery, said: “Iranian Art has many influences and reflects both the native and the exotic. The exhibition will illustrate how these artists have successfully appropriated and further developed the universal contemporary art idiom, while at the same time enriching it with local themes, seen through their own hybrid visual eye.” Featured artists' biographies Asal was born in Tehran in 1983. In 2005, she received her Bachelor of Arts in painting. During the course of her studies, she had the opportunity to work with some professors. Asal participated in over 30 group exhibitions thus far, and has accomplished much in the relatively short span of her artistic career, and is widely regarded as one of the most promising emerging visual artists. Asal describes her My World series, a collection of over 200 drawings produced over a ten-year period, as being a representation of her “mental ambience, needs, and daily experiences,” as well as her dreams. It is a collection which not only serves as Asal's visual autobiography' but which also allows her and her audience to transcend reality into the realm of dreams and imagination. Working with black pen on cardboard is not only Asal's stylistic preference and a defining characteristic of her work, but also a source of ‘tranquillity' for the young artist. Similarly, Asal describes producing the works in the My World series as being very therapeutic for her, as she was able to share her ‘sorrows and Ioneliness' with her audiences. In the artist's own words, with respect to the production of her vast collection, ‘it was only myself, my mind, and my heart'. Nima Hashemian was born in Tehran in 1974. Inspired by his father, an architect, and strongly encouraged by his mother, Nima pursued the arts from a young age. Nima focused his attention on traditional Persian and Oriental painting. Later, he attended University of Arts, where he began experimenting with sculpture, which greatly influenced his painting style. As well, a host of personal projects during this period, such as producing frescoes. Since 2007, Nima has explored the theme of the ‘modern man', and his thoughts and psyche. According to Nima, the modern man is composed of various layers, and his paintings reflect the dynamic overlapping of these layers, exposing them fully. As well, Nima's recent works also examine the relationship between him and his daughter, and their ‘multilayered existence'. Calligrapher, painter and musician Sasan Nasernia, was born in 1974 in Tehran. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in Graphic Design in Tehran in 1997. As a graphic artist, Persian and Arabic words and letter forms never ceased to fascinate him. Although digital typography was the trend of that time, Sasan grew to realize that it wasn't his method of choice to satisfy his sheer fervor for art. This led him to start creating unique calligraphic paintings, as the means to express his artistry and self-exploration. In search of his own language and style over recent years, Sasan has resorted to a minimalistic approach as a result of his “less is more” motto. The majority of his works are monochromic and dichromic, where the intertwined letter forms are created instantly, characterized by the melody of chanted poetry. Since 2008, Sasan has held various solo and group exhibitions in galleries in both Tehran and Dubai. – SG
