Andisheh Avini

Charting a compelling journey through identity, memory, and cultural hybridity, Andisheh Avini’s work weaves together disparate histories and aesthetics into a cohesive visual language. Drawing from his Iranian heritage and American upbringing, he integrates traditional Persian calligraphy, decorative motifs, and portraiture with Western concepts of minimalism and abstraction. This fusion reflects a broader globalized society of nomads and displaced individuals, resonating with contemporary multicultural experiences. Avini's artistic practice encompasses painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture, often incorporating the traditional craft of marquetry. His works explore the duality of his own identity, challenging symbolic implications and exploring the visual experience of memory. Through his art, Avini delves into themes of anonymity and the significance of the act of writing, as seen in his calligraphic paintings. These works emphasize the means and the act of writing over the message itself, reflecting the Islamic tradition where depicting faces is forbidden. Avini's approach speaks to a larger globalized society of nomads, the displaced, and the wayfarer, reflecting a contemporary multicultural experience to which many can relate. ...

Dastan features an extensive and multi-dimensional program focusing on the full spectrum of Iranian contemporary and modern art. Dastan's program includes Dastan's Basement, +2, ParallelCircuit, Zaal Art Gallery, and Dastan:Outside. In addition to hosting exhibitions, Dastan publishes artist books and monographs on Iranian art, features film screenings, performance projects, and other events. Dastan's original space, Dastan’s Basement, was established in 2012 in Tehran, Iran. The Basement is dedicated to exhibiting emerging and cutting-edge Iranian art. +2 is a gallery launched by Dastan in 2015. This space showcases established Iranian artists and masters. Parallel Circuit aims to open the way for artists standing at the interstices of based and experimental art. Zaal Art Gallery is an international gallery in Ontario, Canada. The gallery provides an engaging and immersive space for both enthusiasts and professionals. Since opening its primary space in 2012, Dastan has continuously hosted pop-up curated exhibitions around the city of Tehran under the title Dastan:Outside. ...