Born a Painter: Parvaneh Etemadi at Tehran's Mah Gallery

12/31/09

Parvaneh Etemadi

Without a doubt Parvaneh Etemadi is Iran's leading lady artist and has been so for many years. She is one of the rare artists in Iran I know who has been reinventing herself over and over again throughout her career. I have loved the intensity of her work, the great sense of beauty that I feel when I look at them and the thoughts that rush into my mind trying to work out the message that this leading artist is trying to convey to the viewer, because believe me she does.

Parvaneh Etemadi is not only a great artist but an intellectual and well ahead of her time which is why at times people do not understand her because she does not speak their simple language and have the same frame of thought.

When we went to Mah gallery a few days after the exhibition started (because we were away that weekend) almost all the works were sold. How we envied the lucky people who had bought these.

As I walked into the gallery I sensed the images were interacting with me with their bright, happy and beautiful joyful colors which gave me a feeling of tease and pleasure and as I moved through the large gallery the reality past and present came into view. At all times my senses and thoughts were busy trying to reach out, comprehend and capture their meanings.

Parvaneh Etemadi, like a true artist, challenges you and your intellect as her viewer. She is one of a kind and in the words of Roya Monajem she is one of the most remarkable contemporary Iranian painters, in her creative work, she has gone through several periods. She is a truly contemporary artist and she is familiar with her own space-time. She has taken part in many international exhibitions and painting projects and her works have been auctioned by leading art houses including Christies.

In this new exhibition at the Mah gallery not only did we enjoy her great collages but we also watched a video installation she had made from her own images which was fascinating.

I have seen her paintings and her exquisite ceramic works and there are not that many people who I can look up to so highly. I have known her for many years and admired and respected her for much longer. I adore her work and think of her as a guru that the rest of people will discover later when they are wiser and more knowledgeable. Put simply, Parvaneh Etemadi is a unique artist and human being. Many artists in Iran have been trained by Parvaneh and some have become very successful including Maryam Kazerouni, Minoo Emami and Fereshteh Setayesh

We love her work and here are some pictures that the Mah gallery has kindly offered us to share with you.

Happy 2010!!

See also: