Arwa Abouon, Madjid Fadaian, Farsad Labbauf, Ahmad Morshedloo, Ali Reza

Mehr Gallery is pleased to present a group exhibition of Iranian and Libyan artists whose portraiture, calligraphic script, textile, and landscape present a layered composite from contemporary artists in dialogue with historical Persian artisanship.

Arwa Abouon’s photography presents a discreet biographical snapshot, instantly memorialized in a traditional decorative template. Residing in Montreal, and several steps removed from her birthplace, Abouon plays with the visual motifs of Islamic culture; with “Celestial Sphere” she reappropriates the maternal sun-god in a double-entendre portrait of mother and child. Abouon’s works have been exhibited at The Third Line, Dubai.

Tehran-based Madjid Fadaian’s intricately painted scrolls are inspired by 7th century Kufic Koranic calligraphy, with acrylic and gold on paper.

Farsad Labbauf, who left Tehran post-revolution, carefully constructs portraits akin to mosaic painting, whose hues range from warmest orange to palest ivory, giving each portrait a sensuality that resonates beyond the strict rules of their compositional plane.

Ahmad Morshedloo is a widely recognized emerging talent from Tehran, whose monumental figurative works have been shown throughout Iran, and is preparing for a solo exhibition in New York.