Paintings and drawings by Iranian artist Jamal Bakhshpour are on display at an exhibition titled ‘Existenz’ organized by the Diwan Institution in Cologne - Germany’s fourth largest city - from March 6 to 20.
Like his previous works, the paintings have a surreal theme, a style of art and literature developed principally in the 20th century stressing the subconscious or non-rational significance of imagery arrived atby automatism or the exploitation of chance effects, (surrealist works feature the element of surprise, unexpected juxtapositions and non sequitur). Being symbolic, the paintings are considered illusory in terms of colors and structure, Honaronline reported.
Visiting one of Bakhshpour’s exhibitions in Tehran in 2010, Aydin Aghdashloo, an Iranian painter, author, art critic, art historian and graphic designer, noted: “To understand his paintings, one should regard him both as an illustrator who depicts his individual and illusory stories, and as a veteran artist with technical skills who takes advantage of the various elements of European and Oriental art.”
Veteran Artist
Born in 1944 in Tabriz - the capital of East Azerbaijan Province - Bakhshpour is a veteran painter who has been living in Germany for the past two decades. His paintings have been showcased in the galleries of Iran and in Germany and Switzerland. He studied at the Academy of Art’s ‘Fine Art College’ in Tehran. Since 1970 he has held numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Iran and Europe. The Tehran Arts and Culture Museum nominated him painter of the year in 1971.
A book of his artwork collection from 1964 to 2001 was published in 2002, comprising both colored and black and white paintings. His last exhibition in Iran was held at Tehran’s ‘Siin Gallery’ in 2010.
Established in Germany, the Diwan institution provides a venue for Iranians in Germany to pursue their talent. The institution seeks to develop the individual concept of the term ‘home away from home.’ Its motto is ‘to provide a bit of home for Iranians and a place for German-Iranian encounters’.
Caption: A painting by Jamal Bakhshpour.
