In an unusual move, an artist displayed his works on a moving train and painted the faces of visiting passengers.
Karim Allah Khani put his idea into practice for the first time on January 9, on the Mashhad-Kerman train 781.
“This artistic-cultural performance took place in cooperation with the private joint stock Joopar Passenger Trains and Freight Cars Corporation of the Securities Exchange Organization.
The people’s great reception of this gallery encouraged Joopar Co. to selectively hold such events on other trains,” the artist told ISNA.
Explaining that this gallery “is not a simple painting exhibition, but a new concept and a novel idea in new arts,” he said “We wanted to take art to people instead of dragging them to galleries for a change.”
Allah Khani also added that the most important part of the event was the performance the passengers witnessed. “I intend to draw in train restaurants and coupes, and paint passengers’ faces since I’m always on the road. This time, I sat besides passengers and painted their faces as they looked at my work,” he said.
The passengers were amazed and enjoyed the event as it made the travel time seem shorter while giving them the happy experience of viewing an art gallery. Abstract and modern works were seen in a variety of sizes among the displayed paintings.
Allah Khani was born in 1975 in Neyshabur. He has taken part in more than 10 environmental art festivals in Iran, and more than 30 local and foreign group exhibitions. He has displayed his artworks in over 20 individual exhibitions in Mashhad, Neyshabur, and Kerman. His works have also entered Arco’s Museum of South Korea as the choice environmental artist from Iran.
