Portrayal of Existing Times

A collection of paintings by painter, graphic artist and photographer Reza Samadanian portrays “silent passersby of this city.”

Titled Current Situation, the solo exhibit features 15 abstract figurative paintings. The show opened February 9 at Saye Art Gallery in Tehran and will end on February 19, according to a fax sent by the artist to the Financial Tribune.

Subjects of the present collection are “individual observers of the current situation. They are struggling between internal strife and external contradictions,” Samadanian said in a note on the exhibit. To demonstrate the scale and scope of the tense situation, the artist has used a peculiar technique - painting from behind the canvas. 

He pierced the canvases, which are mostly in large dimensions. Through the opening in the middle of each canvas, he extended his hand, bent his wrist back and ran the brush on the front of the canvas while he was on the back side.

The outcome can be summed up as a series of emotional paintings with energetic brush strokes. It seems he is preoccupied with the current situation of Iranian people. The paintings are the fruit of Samadanian’s artistic practice and reflections about the past two years. A video art is on show alongside the paintings. It illustrates how actually the artist was able to paint from behind the canvas – a feat rarely seen or reported. 

Saye Art Gallery is located at No. 21, 13th Alley, Sanaee Street, Karim Khan Avenue.