IMAN AFSARIAN

Night, It Is
23 September -20 October, 2016

Assar Art Gallery is proud to present Night, It is; the exhibition of latest paintings by Iman Afsarian.

In this exhibition, his third solo show with the gallery, Iman Afsarian presents seven new paintings. Following his signature style with utter dedication to the classical principles of painting, in this collection too, Afsarian has continued with notions of ‘loss’, ‘absence’ and ‘silence’, although unlike his past series, this time almost all the subjects depict an outdoor scene at night.

With frames presenting nostalgic and intense night scenes of city elements and old building, as an artist Afsarian has taken a new approach depicting what he finds visually and emotionally engaging. Intensely private and contemplative, this time he is inspired by poetic nocturnal images of a city in fast transformation, spending hours and days sitting opposite his subjects sensing all the lines and forms in order to delve into a realm previously not chosen or explored by him.  The results are subtle, heartfelt paintings each with energy only an expert painter can bring out of seemingly mundane scenes.

Afsarian’s body of work continues to address his long engagement with the fragility of existence, and our nostalgic conscious. 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. The results are always paintings imbued with sensuality and care.

One of the most celebrated Iranian still life painters, Iman Afsarian lives and works in Tehran. Born in 1974, Afsarian 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 [Profession: Artist] editorial association since its first issue in 2003.  He has also published numerous articles in Iranian magazines on art and culture.