The artwork features an abstract, expressionistic portrait rendered in thick, impasto brushstrokes of vibrant pink hues. The distorted, grotesque features - bulging eyes, elongated nose, and cavernous mouth - evoke a sense of playful whimsy and dark humor. The bold, gestural application of paint creates a dynamic, textural surface that animates the subject, suggesting an energetic and visceral style. While the exact subject matter remains ambiguous, the work's raw, uncompromising approach reflects the artist's intention to challenge conventional notions of beauty and representation in contemporary art. ...
Farrokh Mahdavi (b. 1970, Tehran, Iran) is a prolific painter. His works can be distinguished through the use of unique pinkish hues. His technique aims to reach "a more material meaning" by "omitting the impurities", defamiliarizing the well-known facial elements, and crossing over "cliché definitions". His works emphasize the fleshy-pink color, a color that covers his figures and allows the rendering of "a more general depiction of human beings devoid of stereotypes of gender and of race". The faces in Mahdavi's work are reduced to such features as the eyes or the lips, and the rest are covered by thick layers of pink paint, hinting at the emotional world of his characters. He tries to specify forms and conditions without directly depicting anything additional to that as he believes it deviates from the main point. ...
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. ...
