Born in 1974 in Tehran, Iran, today, Afsarian is considered as one the most celebrated still-life painters of Iran.

Dedicated to the classical principles of painting, Afsarian is deeply interested and engaged with notions of ‘loss’, ‘absence’ and ‘silence’. He mainly paints empty rooms and interior spaces, ordinary domestic objects of no commercial value or furniture.  Doors, windows, mirrors, lamps, clocks, beds and picture frames are some of the recurring things in his paintings referencing a nostalgic existence; these objects contain in them stories of their owners who have left them behind. Though isolated, his subjects unify to suggest a trace of human existence and time, a trace that has left energy behind and it is this trace and energy that Afsarians seeks to depict and reflect.

Through the framework of each painting, his ordinary objects are to create an aesthetic quality for the viewer.  Working with oil and acrylic, and loyal to the conventional methodologies, he is especially focused on depicting the accurate light reflected in his subjects. For this he applies layers and layers of glaze on each work until the desired result is achieved. His strong psychological attachment to his chosen space, locations and subjects means that each painting also goes through a lengthy process from start to completion in order to represent the subject and mood as accurately as possible.

Afsarian lives and works in Tehran, he received an MA in illustration in 2000 and a BA in painting in 1996 from Tehran’s University of Art.  He has participated in numerous national and international exhibitions since his first solo show in 1994.  His work is included in some reputable international collections. As well as being an established painter, Afsarian has been the director of the painting section of the magazine Herfeh: Honarmand’s [Profession: Artist] editorial association since its first issue in 2003.  He has also published numerous articles in Iranian magazines on art and culture.