Contemporary printmaker and photographer, Mehrdad Khataei won the Semi Grand-Prix award in the Tokyo International Mini-Print Triennial 2015.
He competed with his 2014 work ‘I Offer My Hands to the Shades’, an artwork created using mixed media style, including drypoint, etching, aquatint, mezzotint and engraving techniques, Honaronline reported.
Explaining his mini-print, Khataei said: “The concept I tried to portray in the forms, floats between the themes of my previous and future collections.” His previous series was on the Chernobyl disaster, a catastrophic nuclear accident that occurred on April 26, 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine. His future works are on the theme of special beliefs in different societies.
Tama Art University has organized the triennial four times since 1995 with the aim of showcasing the latest global contemporary prints and collecting scholarly data on materials, techniques and expressions of printmaking. Taking advantage of an innate characteristic of printmaking, the project began from the idea that any applicant could participate in the exhibition from anywhere in the world by mailing a print. This drew great attention as the art university organized the international open exhibition.
The festival was held to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the university founding. Among the 324 entries submitted, 20 were awarded.
Japanese artist Ayaka Yamada won the Grand-Prix (first award) with his ‘Dream III - Melancholy of a Knight’ and Praween Piangchompu, Thai artist won third place with ‘Inside the Soul’.
The award winning artworks will be displayed at an exhibition, to be held from September 26 to November 8 at the university museum.
Background
Khataei,39, holds a master’s degree in painting from Azad University of Arts and Architecture. He has taught art since 1996 at the University of Tehran, Anahita Institute, Kavosh Institute, Tehran Fine Art High school, Jahad Daneshgahi of Tehran University and Alzahra University.
Khataei is a member of the Iranian Painters Association and has held numerous shows including printmaking solo exhibitions in Istanbul, Turkey (2005), Assar Art Gallery (2008) and Pooya Gallery (2004). His paintings were exhibited at Aria Art Galley (2006, 2005), Mes Negar Gallery (2003) and Sabz Art Gallery (1997).
