Mohsen Keiany, an Iranian-born artist, showcased on Monday his collection of 19 paintings at the Nomad Gallery with a focus on the western art movements such as Expressionism and Surrealism.
A quick glance at his contemporary amalgamated art pieces would show that Mohsen’s inspiration comes from Iranian paintings, archaeology, Persian mythology, Islamic art; particularly traditional Persian miniature painting and the landscape of Iran. In addition to that the Sufi mysticism is a special influence on his work.
It is fascinating to see as to how his work reflects his Persian roots and the cultural and spiritual influences on him.
Hailing from the city of Shiraz, which is regarded as the capital of Persian culture, and home to several famous poets and Sufi masters including Hafez Shirazi, Sheikh Saadi, Mansoor al-Hallaj and others, Dr Keiany is also known for meditating in front of the canvas and then painting from the intensely vivid images from his memory.
His work is inspired from Divan (a collection of Hafez’s poetry), which gives him inspiration. The city of Shiraz is itself an inspiration for the painter. This city is abundant with gardens and fruit trees and has its own individual school of miniature art, colourful crafts, inlaid mosaic, decorative tiles and magnificent carpets, beautiful architecture and rare stained glass windows. “I use Divan of Hafez as the prophecy, which guides my in finding answers to my questions and gives me direction,” observed the artist in his press statement issued here.
Talking to Pakistan Today, Nomad Gallery Director Nageen Hyat said that all his works are bright, colourful and interwoven with the Persian poetry of Hafez.
“The images are bright and colourful and immediately draw the viewer towards them. Nearly all his paintings seem to be telling a story. A particularly beautiful painting by Dr Keiany is called ‘Spiritual Discourse’. The painting depicts a group of Sufis and a woman sitting around a bonfire. Most of the figures in the painting are looking at one another busy in some discussion,” she said.
So the Persian poetry with the city of Shiraz as its background is a mesmerising experience for a viewer.
Mohsen’s paintings are mainly oil-on-canvas and they depict men and women playing Daff, Tar, Setar and flute. The colours used are rich and reveal a detail of expressionism.
An equally beautiful painting is “Narges”, done in orange, red and yellow hues.
Another noteworthy aspect of Dr Keiany’s works is his depiction of some musical instrument in nearly every painting. Some paintings make the instrument apparent, as in the “Nienavazan”.
“While some paintings show love, music, peace and tranquillity, others show action like “Choogan” (polo). The characters are depicted while in the midst of a game. The painting is dominated by rich colours perhaps show the rush of facial expressions that come with sports, and the energy that the game requires and generates,” Nageen explained, adding the paintings have a heavy use of blue and other lighter colours that have a calming effect on the viewer, which is possibly what the painter is aiming for.
Born in 1970 in Iran, Mohsen Keiany having shown a talent for art, completed his secondary education, became a teacher and gained a scholarship to study art at the Esfahan University. He secured a Master’s degree and then lectured at Shiraz University. An award-winning artist, Keiany has exhibited over 50 times internationally. He has exhibited 35 times in the UK, recently at the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, and his work has been reviewed by the BBC and many newspapers. He now lives in the USA and has completed his PhD thesis. His exhibition at Nomad will continue until November 12.
