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IRAN

Alireza Memariani

“For me, art and beauty are a path to truth and perfection. Everything I create has a real reference and story behind it. For a deeper understanding of my work, there is also a need for recognition of the symbols in my work. Self-made symbols within relevant themes. I personalise everything that I have acquired from the culture, society, history and religion in order to convey it in a universal language. The image, especially photography, has the largest share of my work, but most of these images are compositions of different materials and subjects. Before being a painter, I am a gardener. I collect ideas like seeds around me. I try to immerse myself in a creative environment to spend time and energy on them until they blossom at the right time. My art, regardless of its form, is in pursuit of a mission, a mission related to the miracle of life.“

FACEBOOK ⋅ INSTAGRAM

Multidisciplinary Artist

ARTIST BIOGRAPHY

My artistic approach is grounded in visual art and documentary practices, with a primary focus on digital photography and art installation. Over the years, I have prepared various exhibitions and presented my works in diverse settings. Additionally, I made a documentary film, which was screened at a festival in Tehran, and received the Special Jury Prize in 2022. I currently reside on Hormoz Island in the Persian Gulf, where I have established the Artist Residency Daheer, a unique space for creativity and cultural exchange. Here, I collaborate with local artists, musicians, and community members to create projects that explore the intersection of art and everyday life.

My first project on Hormoz Island, called ``Red Dream`` and ``Real Imagination,`` utilized stage photography to capture the abstract emotions of workers in an old red clay mine and factory. A 50-year-old red clay factory produced red powder for the paint and cosmetics industry and most of the products were exported to Italy and FranceThe goal was to convey the abstract feelings of the workers through visual storytelling, with the themes of hope, love, and patience at the forefront.

My second project, ``Cemetery,`` involved working alongside impoverished locals to dry surplus fish in the desert heat, which taught me the importance of embodying the life of a fish dryer to achieve true artistic originality. For approximately six months, I labored with them in their difficult working conditions, amidst the hot and unsanitary environment filled with flies. For many days, I sifted through the remains of the beautiful fish, seeking beauty amidst the stench of decaying corpses. My workshop became a haven for the dead and dried fish, but arranging these works became meditative for me, allowing me to blend reality with fantasy by incorporating human figures among the fish.

My next project, ``Public Mourning,`` was inspired by the mass death of antelopes on the island and the resulting changes in the landscape. I created symbolic sculptures of metal mummies representing the deer. I realized that my project was not only related to the environment but also connected to religious beliefs. To me, the death of a deer symbolized the loss of innocence. I shrouded my characters, a real shroud with religious prayers. That year, I thought that death had invaded our land.

In the end, I also made a documentary film about the process of this project called “Broken Bones.” A film about a local man who heals the broken bones of humans as well as animals, and unlike all the people of the island has come to the fact that the death of antelopes is actually the death of the island and its people.

After working on several other photography projects, I decided to build a cultural house on the island called Daheer, named after an ancient mythical fish found in the Persian Gulf. This 2 project was a challenging but ultimately rewarding endeavor that has now become a significant location for artists and cultural exchange on the island.

 

EXHIBITIONS/FILMS

 

- 2020 documentary film Broken Bones – 64 minutes
- 2018 Public mourning - Photography and Sculpture project, Etemad Gallery, Tehran
- 2016 Cemetery - Etemad Gallery, Tehran
- 2015 Real Imagination, No.6 Art Gallery, Tehran,Iran
- 2014 Red Dream, Bidbon Gallery Shiraz, Iran
- 2010 Kite Runner, Prague Cafe Gallery, Tehran, Iran

 

OTHER ACHIEVEMENTS

 

- 2022 VIDEOFORMES 2022 Digital Arts Festival, 18-21 March, Clremont - Ferrand, France- 2022 Manipulated Genes, The Iranian New Media Artist in Europe, Galleria Weber, Turin, Italy
- 2022 Special Jury Prize in the International Section of the 15th Cinema-Truth Film Festival for the documentary “Broken Bones”
- 2020 Group photography exhibition “99 Photography “, 19 Jun-19 Jul 2020, Tehran art gallery, Tehran, Iran
- 2019 Group exhibition ” Portrait” Interphotofrance , Lesneven , France- 2019 International group exhibition “STAGED” 21/11-14/12/2019, PH21 Gallery, Budapest, Hungary
- 2019 Group exhibition “Love is a Rebellious Bird” Nov 5 – Feb 7
- 2020 MANTRA Wine Gallery, Novato, CA, USA
- 2019 Participation in the 7th Art Festival for Peace, 20Sep - 4Oct, Baroque Gallery, Tehran, Iran
- 2018 Selected photographer in second mine festival, Iranian Artists Forum, Tehran, Iran
- 2018 Group exhibition at Negar Gallery 5 October - 10 October Tehran, Iran
- 2018 Group exhibition at Etemaad Gallery | August 10,2018 - September 11, 2018, Tehran, Iran
- 2017 Award winner photographer in the first mine festival, Iranian Artists Forum, Tehran, Iran
- 2015 Participating in the “Ten Days with Photographers” Festival, Iranian Artists Forum, Tehran, Iran
- 2014 Selected as the Best Photographer in Hormozgan Photography Festival
- 2012 Making the Documentary Titled “Balochi Music” about the Balochi Folklore Musician “Shir Mohammad Espandar”
- 2012 Participating in “Tehran’s Independent Film Festival”
- 2011 Making the Short Film Titled “Instance” (with a Theme on Photography)

Artworks

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